Déjà Vu
by someoneudontknow5
Summary: This is the story of Claire and how she moves to Mineral Town, finds love etc etc etc. Typical right? There's a catch, Claire owns a game called More Friends of Mineral Town. LAST CHAPTER OUT.
1. Prologue: Snow

**El: Welcome to Someoneudontknow5's new story!**

**Me: Yeah, read enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer; ...You can guess what goes here.**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

_Hi! Me? I'm Claire, a petite blond that lives on a farm in Mineral Town._

_I know what you're thinking; I'm just some girl that led a boring everyday life, wanted a change of scenery and found true love. Well... Not quite. I'm also the girl that got a huge reality check and came crashing back down to earth from her little cloud. And honestly not so much of a girl anymore... I'm 21 years old and I just spent the wackiest year of my life._

_Instead of making long, complicated and useless sentences like the ones above, I'll just tell you all about it. Right from the beginning. _

_It was a snowy winter afternoon..._

One year ago, somewhere in the city.

A young blond woman opened the door of her apartment and shuffled in quickly. The day had been freezing and it was with relief that she relished in the indoor warmth. While stamping her boots to get rid of the snow that stuck to them she tried to warm up her nose. It felt like it was going to fall off any second and she was sure it was an unsightly red.

With her boots off Claire headed for her room where she peeled off the many layers of clothing she had been wearing and hopped quickly in the shower. 15 minutes later found Claire on her couch, trying to get the knots out of her long blond hair. As she concentrated on the task, she couldn't help but think about her day. It had been, to put it frankly, boring to tears.

Claire worked for an insurance company. When she had applied for the post, the blond had been thrilled at the thought of helping people. Tchah. Helping people. Yeah right. All she did nowadays was listen to some rich brats ramble on endlessly and whine about their "problems". After all, they had to know, did the insurance company cover a broken nail? What about a bad haircut? And that wasn't the worst part. The topic of the conversation would often change to the girls' outfits. Did this dress go with these shoes? Was the makeup too light or on the contrary was there too much? By then, Claire often felt a need to hit her head on her desk or jump out the window.

Claire was now convinced that it was her boss that gave her these clients because he was out to get her. Maybe she shouldn't have run away from his office screaming "Pedophile! Scary pervert!" On her first day there. That might have hurt his feelings a little. Claire rolled her eyes as she made herself a cup of hot chocolate, how else was she supposed to react? He had asked her to eat lunch with him and Claire had seen enough horror movies to know she had to run away. Honestly, he was like what, 42? And bald. Claire was not into old baldies.

Wrenching her mind away from work, Claire plonked down on the couch, sipping her hot chocolate contently. As she looked outside, her blue eyes traced people making their way through the street in what was left of the snow. Spring was approaching rapidly and it would be here in a week or two.

Whistling a simple tune, Claire reached over to her handbag and she pulled out the newspaper she had bought earlier in the street. Flipping the pages, her eyes quickly scanned the headlines. _Boring,_ she thought,_ boring, extra boring, comics, boring, bo-what? _With a squeal of delight, Claire backed up to the comics and read them, her favorite page.

A couple minutes of nonstop laughing later, Claire finished the comics and her eye caught on a advertisement. She read it sceptically.

How would you like to enjoy a peaceful and refreshing farm life?

Buy your own farm now!

Please contact MT realtor at 012-345-689

Claire blinked as an odd feeling of déjà-vu overcame her. The ad sounded familiar but she couldn't place her finger on it. Then it struck her. For her last birthday, she had received a game called More Friends of Mineral Town. In it, the character led a boring life and decided to buy a farm (which turned out to be a dump by the way) and she had to revive it. Claire had always been struck by the similarity of the everyday life between her and the principal character.

Claire had always adored that game and had often dreamed of the same thing happening to her. With a gasp, Claire's eyes went from the newspaper she had dropped on her lap to her phone. Newspaper. Phone. Newspaper. Phone.

Finally, while feeling a combination of exhilaration and stupidity, Claire picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Hello, MT Realtor? I'm calling about the farm..."

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**El: And there we go! First chapter!**

**Me: Tell us what you think! Second chapter will be up soon, and don't forget to review! (this chapter is pretty short but the others will be longer!)**


	2. Insane

**El: Hi and welcome to the 2nd chapter of Déjà-vu!**

**Me: Yup, thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and have a nice flight!**

**El:... You're supposed to say 'and review'**

**Me:... Oh. Good point. *sweatdrop* Just do the disclaimer El...**

**El: Someoneudon-ugh whatever. Mathilde doesn't own Harvest Moon. Not even in her dreams. *whispers to me* why'd you pick such a hard name?**

**Special thanks to;**

**QueenoftheCatz: Thank you and hope you enjoy!**

**MarianFontz: Thanks for sticking with me! Your comment made my day! **

**Okapi95: I'm glad you like it!**

**Riku-sia: There you go, update!**

**And thanks to everyone else who read and *favorited* *put in story Alerts* or who simply read and had a good time.**

**El: lol that was so corny**

**Me: *pouts* but all of it is true! I'm glad people like!**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

Claire stood in front of her property. Her mind was blank. After a few minutes of pure blankness, a few words squeezed into her brain.

_Wow, this sucks._

And to say she had been anxious to get here. So anxious in fact that she had barely gotten any sleep on the boat. A mad smirk came came on Claire's exhausted face and a giggle escaped her. She couldn't even see her field under all the weeds that covered her property! And not to mention all the tree stumps and boulders!

With a sigh, the blond fell down. Slowly she lay down on her back and closed her eyes, trying to think things out. Could she really do this? It was after all, so much more different than the game. The blob of pixels could run hour upon hour without ever getting tired. Claire couldn't. The character had amazing stamina. Claire didn't. Game-Claire couldn't get sick. Claire could. And so many other reasons that Claire almost felt the need to give up, here and there.

_'I think you should leave. Get out of here.' _Claire opened her eyes to see who had spoken and saw a miniature version of herself floating in front of her nose. Except she was wearing a devil costume. _Wow_, Claire thought, squinting her eyes at the devil, _I must be going mad, that or I'm really, really tired..._

_'Or you simply watch Kuzco too much' _Devil Claire said before 'poof'-ing away.

Before Claire had any more time to question her sanity, a tiny person appeared in front of her.

"Hello there!" the tiny man said, he was dressed completely in red and had a reddish potato nose.

"Ack!" Claire cried out covering her eyes, "Too much red! Too bright!"

The man stepped back suddenly, surprised by the unexpected outburst and tripped over a stone, falling flat on his back.

Claire stared at him, taking the sight of the red mayor sprawled on the ground. And she burst out laughing. Now don't get any wrong ideas, Claire was a very polite girl with lovely manners (coughyeahcoughrightcoughchoke) but she was exhausted and was starting to think she was going mad.

As he tried to get up, the mayor tripped again, landing on his face this time. Claire tried to smother her giggles only to laugh harder. Tears were swelling up in her eyes and soon they were streaking down her cheeks.

Thomas got up carefully and dusted himself off, glancing once in a while at the still giggling blond. He was looking at her with pity, thinking that she was just some poor lunatic.

After a few minutes, Claire managed to calm herself down and, with a bright blush, she got to her feet to shake the mayor's hand. _Nice going Claire_, she thought,_ way to make a nice first __impression... _A heavy silence fell. Claire had no idea what to say and she felt quite uncomfortable, especially after what had just happened.

Thomas sighed, "Umm... So who are you?"

Claire blushed even more, "I'm Claire, the new owner of the..." her voice died away and she cleared her throat, looking around "... of this..._farm._"

The mayor's eyes twinkled with amusement. He clasped his hands behind his back and opened his mouth in a perfect little 'o'. Like a schoolboy preparing a very long speech. Claire raised her hand to stop him before he could even start,

"Yes, I know the ad was exaggerating. A lot. Yes I sold my apartment and spent most of my money for this. And yes..." Claire sighed, "I-I'm going to keep it."

The mayors opened and closed his mouth like a fish, confused. That was not the reaction he had expected.

"Now," Claire said, the mad smile back on her face, "Can you help me with one of my questions? Why, oh why did I ever do this??"

Thomas blinked, "Uuh... No idea?"

Claire smiled and nodded her head, "Good, I'm not the only one then." She yawned, "Well, I must say good night, I'm exhausted." And with those words, she entered her house, slamming the door.

The little mayor stood there for a second, head cocked on one side, letting the events of the shocking encounter sink in. _What an odd young woman_, the mayor thought. After a few more seconds of staring off into space, the mayor left to talk about it with Ellen. Who would then tell the news to her granddaughter, Elli. Who would then blabber about it to anyone who would listen. And so on and so forth until the whole town would know every tiny detail. After all, Mineral Town was really small and good gossip material was hard to come bye these days. The last interesting news had been when Alex, the old farmer, had died. And that hadn't been very fun to talk about.

Inside her house, Claire sighed as the mayor left. With a squeal, she danced around her one roomed house. Now that she had made up her mind to keep the farm, excitement was taking over once again. It was after all, simply a dream come true. Sure, the monstrosity of the place had been a nasty cold shower, but hey, Claire was a natural optimist.

Claire unpacked slowly, yawning every couple minutes. Deciding that sleep would be a good idea, she quickly changed into her pajamas and hopped into her bed, waiting for sweet sleep to claim her.

An hour later, she was still awake. With a groan Claire rubbed her eyes. She couldn't believe it, up until she got in bed, she had been completely exhausted. Now, she felt as if she could take over the world! Anyway, that was the way she was... Claire sighed and got out of bed, slowly trying to make her way to her bag without the help of any light.

5 minutes and lots of stumbling, bumping and cursing later, Claire found what she was looking for. With a giggle, she jumped right back into bed and turned her gameboy on. The menu of MFoMT soon appeared and Claire sighed happily, ready to wear out her thumbs until sleep finally came to fetch her.

The next morning

Claire stepped outside, full of energy and ready to start the day. Until she ran into the waiting mayor.

"Oomph!" Claire rubbed her stomach, "So sorry! Are you ok?"

"Uuh... Yes, yes..." the mayor grumbled but regained his usual smile quickly, "Good morning to you, did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock! But I have a question," Claire's gaze turned icy, "Where is the shower? And in general, where is the bathroom?" Claire had honestly not given a thought to that matter while she was on the boat, after all, a bathroom wasn't exactly necessary in the game.

The mayor coughed, slightly embarrassed, "Um... There isn't any bathroom. You have to go to Doug's Inn. That's what Alex used to do."

"Oh. Fine." Claire nodded with a smile, she secretly hoped Doug wouldn't charge her too much or at all, she didn't have a lot of money left... As the mayor started speaking, Claire snapped out of her thoughts.

"Anyway, I heard you were new to farm life so I came to explain that..."

Claire cut in quickly, "Yeah, no worries, I know; Use the A button to lift up items in front of you, throw items or talk to people. Use the B button to use items or tools."

Thomas stood there, his eye twitching. _What...? What is she talking about?_

The mayor cleared his throat, "Uh, right. Would you like any other information about anything else?"

Claire flashed a brilliant smile, "Thanks, but no thanks. I already obtained information from... certain sources."

"Really? Well at least let me tell you that..."

Fifteen minutes later the mayor was still doing his monologue and Claire strongly felt the need to bang her head against the door frame. She had almost made up her mind to actually do it when she spotted a flash of brown out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh! Puppy!!" Claire squealed and ran up to the little beagle next to the house, "I was starting to wonder if you only existed in the game!!"

The mayor stared at the young woman hugging the puppy. Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, Thomas left and warned Zach not to pass by. Anyway, Claire seemed to know everything that could be classified as necessary.

Back on the farm, Claire had happily named the puppy Origami. (1) Or Ori for short. And after fifteen minutes of squealing over the him, Claire decided it was time to meet the fellow Mineral-Towners. The blond got up and started walking towards the brick road with Ori right behind her.

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**(1) Random much?**

**Me: There we go, chapter two!**

**El: Yup. Anyone notice it takes five minutes for Claire to go from her bed to her bag but only one second to 'hop' back in?**

**Me: Hehehe... ^^' **

**El: Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review!**


	3. Mouse

**Third chapter!**

**Sorry for the long wait, I had a writer's block...**

**Disclaimer: Me Harvest Moon own no! You understand do? How simple must I make it? And I don't own the Wizard of Oz either... (darn it!)**

**Thank you reviewers! You have no idea how happy your reviews made me! And you have no idea how much I laughed when I realized you all used the word 'yay' and 'puppy'. Cookies for you!**

**Hugs to anyone who put in alerts and/or favorited!**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

Singing a famous tune a young woman and her dog were skipping down the brick road, "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz!"

Claire arrived and stopped in front of the Blacksmith. Her thoughts trailed off, _What are the people really like? Are they nice? _Her thoughts were so far away in fact that she didn't hear the angered voices from inside the shop.

"Come on Origami, let's meet these people!" Claire whispered and she turned the doorknob.

What happened next went extremely fast; Claire opened the door and Origami ran in. They found themselves in front of two very, very angry people. The pair had caught Gray and Saibara in one of their daily fights.

"Eep!!" Claire 'eep'-ed and ran away, slamming the door behind her and leaving two very puzzled men and one puzzled dog behind. Not what she had expected.

_I didn't get a good look at their faces... But I'm sure they're actually a scary grizzly-man and a boy-with-hair-of-fire-sent-by-the-devil,_ she thought with a shudder_, although boy-with-hair-of-fire-sent-by-the-devil is too long... maybe B.w.H.o.F.S.b.t.D. Yup. _Satisfied with her findClaire didn't realize right away that she was still running. When she did, she pulled out all the brakes and looked around. Where was she?

In front of her was an imposing church. Intrigued, Claire opened the massive doors, peeking in. It looked so much smaller in the game! At first glance, the church seemed empty. Deciding to chance a closer look, Claire stepped in, all thoughts of the very brief encounter with the blacksmiths forgotten. She hadn't even realized that she had forgotten Origami in the shop when she ran out.

Claire admired the fragile decoration of the church, her blue eyes lingering on the marble statue of a beautiful woman with long hair. 'Harvest Goddess' was written on the bronze plate next to the statue. Claire continued her tour when she spotted someone in the front row, a young man with chocolate hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. Claire couldn't see anything else in the sort of twilight atmosphere that was in the church but he did seem nice enough... That should be Cliff, she decided.

"Hello there!!" the blond squealed, causing the Cliff to jump out of his seat,

"Eek!" the young man ran away without another word.

"..." Claire stood there, confused, "Did I do something wrong? What do you think Origami?"

When Claire got no response, she turned around, searching for the little beagle. Perplexed, Claire walked back outside whistling for the puppy. Then it hit her. Ori was with the scary men.

"Oops." Claire's breath hitched and she started running once again, "I'll find you Ori!"

A little while later Claire was walking back and forth on Rose Plaza, trying to remember where the Forge was exactly. Grumbling she looked at the three paths that led away from the Plaza. _Which __one?_

"Hey you! Mouse!"

Claire turned around, searching for the source of the voice. _Who has a nickname like that? 'Mouse'? _Running towards her was young man in his early twenties. He was wearing a blue 'UMA' cap and baggy khaki clothes. Most importantly, he was holding Origami. Claire broke into a large smile and ran forward to meet the stranger.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She squealed, taking the puppy who barked happily, "I was looking all over for him!"

The stranger smirked and nodded. From up close, Claire could see him much better. He had red hair, long bangs peeking out from under his hat and piercing blue eyes. Quite tall, he loomed over petite Claire by a bit more than a head. Claire gulped. _Hot... Really hot... Hey! Unfair! The baggy clothes are hiding everything! Mumble mumble... _As she continued checking the guy out she realized that she was looking at Gray. (Whom she married all the time in MFoMT, and that sounds slightly creepy) It took all of Claire's will not to drool here and there.

Claire suddenly realized the silence had been sitting there for a minute or two while they were staring at each other. The young woman cleared her throat.

"Right, thanks again G-uh, what's your name?" Claire asked, remembering just in time that she wasn't supposed to know him...

"Gray to you mouse," Gray said with another smirk.

"Why are you calling me that?!" Claire demanded, irritated, "Do I look like a mouse to you?!"

"No but you sure did sound like one when you came in the shop." Gray explained, the smirk seemingly glued on his face.

"That's no reason to call me that! You don't know me at all and..." Claire stopped, realizing who she was talking to, "Shop? Oh! You're the B.w.H.o.F.S.b.t.D.!"

"The what?!" Gray asked, the smirk draining from his face and turning into a slight scowl.

"The B.w.H.o.F.S.b.t.D." Claire said, articulating everything, "or boy-with-hair-of-fire-sent-by-the-devil if you want to say it completely."

Gray blinked, "And then you lecture me about giving nicknames to people I don't know?"

"It's not the same thing!" Claire said, blushing slightly, "You look scary when you're angry. And I barely saw your face."

"And you sounded like a mouse." Gray retorted, "And for your information, mouse, I barely saw your face either!"

"Don't call me that!" Claire yelled, her voice an octave higher, this guy was starting to really tick her off, "You see me calling you a rodent?!"

"You see me calling you a demon sent by the devil?!" Gray snapped right back, his voice louder.

The pair continued yelling at each other. Back and forth the words went, faster and faster. When they finally stopped, out of breath, Gray smirked and put his hand out.

"Nice to meet you Claire." He said. Claire raised an eyebrow but shook the extended hand.

They both started walking down a road, Claire didn't know where it would lead her but she had to know, why the sudden change in attitude? Claire sneaked peeks at Gray from time to time, his face was impassive. They went down the road that led to the church but turned to the right before they reached it. There were two buildings, one of them had a sign with "Doug's Inn" written on it. _Goodie!_ Claire thought, _shower!_

As they were getting closer, Gray slowed down and cleared his throat, "I wanted to say... I'm... uh... I'm sorry, I was angry and I yelled at you." He was looking down at his feet and mumbling so softly that Claire barely caught it.

Claire laughed, "That's ok, I needed to release some steam as well." Gray nodded and opened the door of the Inn for Claire. She stopped, surprised and Origami almost ran into her. He let out and annoyed 'woof'.

"Sorry Ori but Gray, why do you assume I want to go in there?" Claire questioned, getting slightly suspicious.

Gray raised an eyebrow, "Because you muttered 'Goodie, shower!' when yous saw the Inn?"

Claire blushed bright red, had she really said that out loud? Looking down at her feet, she shuffled inside quickly, Gray shutting the door behind them. Ori barked and started running around, trying to catch his tail. Claire watched him with a soft smile.

"Well..." Gray's husky voice rang in the seemingly empty Inn, "For your shower, ask Ann ok? She's a waitress here and my annoying sister, she'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?" Claire asked.

"Clinic. Burned my hand at the forge." Gray muttered, raising his right hand.(1) On the side of it was a nasty burn that went from his index to his wrist. Claire winced and nodded.

"Bye," Claire said, "Thanks again by the way!" Origami barked.

Gray nodded, walked up to the door and went to open it when his eyes went wide and he jumped back. The door swung open with force, almost hitting Gray who was smirking triumphantly.

Gray's POV

_Ha. Not this time._

Claire's POV

_Huh?_

Ann's POV

_Darn it._

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**(1)Yes, Gray used his left hand to shake hands with Claire, he's not that much of an idiot...**

**Me: Haha... Ann is evil, she wants to knock her brother out!**

**El: That's the kind of stuff you would try...**

**Me: Me? Never! *shifty eyes***

**El: Right. Anyway you know, like always thanks for staying with us, hope you enjoyed and...**

**Me: Review please!**


	4. Sparkle

**Oh my god! Thank you so much for all the reviews! You have no idea how happy they make me! I'm stuck in the hospital right now but you're reviews inspired me to type!**

**Thank you so much everyone!! Hope you enjoy chapter 04!!**

**Disclaimer: --- Insert the obvious here.**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

"Come again?" Claire asked. The blond had taken a shower and was now chatting with Ann, the devilish waitress. They had hit off directly and Claire was sure that a great friendship was just born.

"I'm saying that I think my brother likes you," Ann said with a bright smile, dancing around the room with a broom, her braid flying around her.

Claire rolled her eyes, "Come on Ann, Gray and I, we've known each other for what, fifteen minutes? How could he like me?"

"Claire, you don't know Gray like I do," Ann said shaking her head sadly, "His basic vocabulary during a normal conversation is either 'hn', 'yes' or 'no'! I'm not saying he likes, likes you. I mean that you caught his attention."

Claire shrugged, deciding to change the topic although she was secretly pleased, "Whatever you say Ann. Anyway I was wondering if you could give me a quick tour of the town, I don't have a map and I get lost easily..." Actually, Claire just wanted to check if the town was the same as in the game and she didn't want to do it alone.

Ann eyed Claire weirdly, "Claire... This town is extremely small. Who could ever get lost here?"

Claire grinned sheepishly, "I would and I kinda did... There's no select button, so I can't view the map."

"...Select button?"

"Yeah. So, quick tour?"

Without waiting for an answer, Claire dragged Ann outside, Origami running after them happily.

Later, during the afternoon

Claire wiped her forehead, she had just spent an hour tilling, planting and watering her brand new turnips. It had been harder than she had expected but she quickly got the hang of it. With a satisfied sigh she sat down under her apple tree, stroking Origami. The tour had been quite fun and Claire had met everyone in town. Well, at least for real.

The pair had visited the winery first where Manna had talked the girls' ears off. They had then gone to the library where Claire had met Mary. The young librarian with ebony hair was pretty sweet and had recommended a few fiction books for Claire which the blond was eager to start reading.

They had met Ellen, Elli, Trent and Stu next. Stu was a cutie. An over-energetic cutie. Claire adored him right away. Just as much as she adored Ellen. The old woman was filled with compassion and an ability to pass caring emotions with just a look. Elli. With her heart shaped face and chocolate eyes there was only one way to describe her, sweet and caring. Trent was... Well he seemed nice enough but Claire thought that the guy needed a break. Stop working for a minute or two. And smile more.

Ann had then led Claire to the supermarket where she talked with Sasha and Karen while Jeff sat in a corner in fetal position, rocking back and forth. Karen had been a bit cold at first and had stayed with her nose high in the air but she had soon come back down to earth and warmed up to Claire.

At the beach, Claire freaked out. When she opened the door, she came face to face with a 'muscle' man and a Chinese freak. It took Ann 5 minutes to calm Claire down, the blond was hiding behind the counter and muttering something about the Chinese mafia and burly bodyguards.

They passed by Yodel Ranch where May found a new friend in Claire and Barley told the blond she welcome anytime. When Claire squealed over Hannah, Origami growled slightly and started running around his mistress, looking for attention. Ann had burst into peals of laughter when she realized the puppy was jealous and Claire had quickly stroked his head to show him she still loved him.

Last but not least Ann and Claire went to Chicken Lil's. Popuri had immediately jumped on Claire and smothered her in a hug, almost choking her with her mass of pink curls. She kept saying that they were going to be awesome friends but she had to stay away from her Kai or things could become ugly. Lillia had given Claire a spa boiled egg and they chatted for a bit. When Rick came in, Claire checked out something she had been wondering about. She asked him what he thought about chickens and who the heck Kai was. Popuri ended up knocking him out to get him to stop ranting. Claire was beginning to wonder if knocking out older brothers was a habit in the town. Hmm... if Jack ever passed by to visit...

Jack... No, he wouldn't ever be able to visit her would he? Claire shivered and closed her eyes tightly, wrenching her mind away from the past. She really shouldn't think about it. Not when she had forgotten about it right? With determination, Claire focused on what had happened after the tour...

They had gone to the Inn for lunch where Claire saw the guy that had run away from her that morning. She had been really happy when she heard him whisper 'hi'. So the guy wasn't _that_ shy. Only a little... While they waited for their food, Ann and Claire talked about this and that until Doug arrived. The father of Ann and Gray was an excellent cook and Claire stuffed herself with glee. She had also noticed Ann blushing like mad when she handed lunch over to Cliff. _I'll need to investigate,_ Claire had thought with a smirk.

The blond sighed, already on her first day she felt warm and accepted. The townsfolk were awesome and Claire decided that buying the farm was one of the best decisions she ever made. As her mind drifted, Claire suddenly realized she hadn't checked if the Harvest Goddess was real. Claire sat up with a start and ran off her property in a wink. Leaving Ori without a warning. Again. If Origami had been human, he would have sighed or groaned and then proceed to run after her. But since Ori was a dog, he chased after a butterfly.

Meanwhile Claire was running on a dirt path, a moon-drop flower in her hand. In front of her she could see a waterfall sparkling under the playful spring sun. _Oh please, please be there! _Claire repeated the sentence over and over in her head as she dropped the flower. The moon-drop flower stayed on the crystal water for a second before slowly sinking in. Where the flower had been, a green spark appeared. It flickered brightly for a second and then... it disappeared.

Claire blinked, "That's all? The myth of the Harvest Goddess comes from a sparkle?!"

"Do I look like a sparkle to you?" Claire looked up and her mouth fell open, standing over her was a beautiful woman with long green hair. She was wearing a light blue dress and not only was she surrounded by those flickering sparkles, she was also floating. It was the woman of the statue, the Harvest Goddess.

"Uh...Yo!" Claire said, for lack of better words.

The Harvest Goddess smiled sweetly and opened her mouth. Claire immediately remembered something and cut in quickly.

"No, sorry, I don't want to connect to a gamecube," Claire said, "I don't have Another Wonderful Life anyway..."

"What... Whatever you say..." the Harvest Goddess stuttered slightly as she tried to keep smiling. She was hardly ever confused, but right now she didn't know what to say.

"So what's it like being the Harvest Goddess?" Claire asked, sitting down as if she were a little girl, waiting for a good story.

"It's interesting an boring at the same time..." the Harvest Goddess said slowly, something about Claire was off. Fake. Intrigued, the Harvest Goddess sat down next to Claire and looked at her in the eyes. Claire looked right back, the smile still etched on her face.

"Child... You know hiding and trying to forget does not heal?" In that instant, Claire's smile slipped off and she saw the Harvest Goddess for what she really was, not a young beautiful woman with sparkles flying around her but more as somebody from the beginning of times, old and wise. A person who looks into your eyes and is able to tell your deepest secrets. And Claire was scared of people like that.

"Uuh, I-I have t-to go now..." Claire said, a wobbly smile barely staying on her lips. She tried to keep up the facade of the happy and bubbly blond but it was quickly slipping away. Claire tried to ignore the unwanted memories prodding at the edge of her consciousness, she didn't want to think about it!

With a sigh, the Harvest Goddess watched Claire walk away quickly before she broke into a run. Staring for a moment or two at the last place she saw Claire, she sighed again and sank slowly into the water.

Claire was running, almost as if she was trying to run away from those cursed memories. It was no use, she felt a wave of guilt and despair wash over her. _No! It wasn't my fault!_ Claire got to her house and she ran in, slamming the door behind her and slipping down to the floor, _it wasn't my fault..._

**The Clinic**

Ann fidgeted in her seat, waiting impatiently for her friend. Elli was trying to reassure Jeff and tell him that he was going to be fine. And that he had to leave, now. Seeing as that was easier said than done, Ann groaned as time passed by.

"Ok, I'm here Ann," Elli said, she giggled when she saw that Ann was pouting and puffing out her cheeks.

"You took forever!" the waitress complained, Elli didn't reply and shrugged.

Ann rolled her eyes and pushed the thoughts away, "Anyway, I came here to ask you, what do you think of Claire?"

"Except for being slightly hyper and looking too much like you?" Elli replied, smirking when Ann stuck her tongue out at her, "She looked really sweet."

"Yeah, well since she's new, I thought we do something together." Ann said with a dazzling smile, "You know, me, you, Claire and Pop?"

Elli nodded, "Sure!"

"Cool, I'll think what we could do and we'll talk tomorrow ok?" Ann said, standing up and stretching.

Elli nodded again and waved as Ann left.

**Claire's house, later during the night**

In the darkness of the night, Claire's bed creaked as she turned over, sweat dripping on her forehead and her eyes were closed tight.

_Flash_

…

"_Be careful honey!" a woman's voice._

…

_An ear piercing scream followed by complete silence._

…

_An ambulance in the background._

…

_A new voice, male, "Are any of them still alive?"_

…

_Darkness._

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**Wow, this chapter was... angsty O.o but at least we realized that Claire is not 100% of a spazy and childish blond.**

**El: I'll refrain from commenting here...**

**Me: *pouts* Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed and please review!! Flames will be used for my pyromaniac activities! Er... I mean for roasting marshmallows...**

**El: Pyromaniac...? *Shifts away* review and be on the look-out for the next chapter folks!**


	5. Girls' day out

**Everyone remember the cliffie? Well I'm going to be very evil and tell you that... The truth won't be revealed now, it's still going to be confusing! Sorry! Ah!! *avoids objects thrown at me***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon, if I did...**

**El: If you did, you would become insane.**

**Me: Touché. Anyway, R&R please!**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**A couple days later**

Claire fell down. With a groan, she looked at the turnip she was holding. That annoying vegetable. Who knew it would be so stubborn? Claire had been overly excited that morning when she came outside, her turnips were ripe. Little did she know how hard it would be pulling those things from the ground. An hour later, she had only pulled 16 out of the 27 she had planted.

Claire sighed and glared at turnip number 16. _I should eat you right now,_ she thought. A scowl on her face, Claire got up and tossed the cursed thing into the shipping bin.

"Need help?"

Claire whipped around to the sound of the voice. Leaning against her mailbox with an amused smirk was (oh surprise surprise) Gray. Claire blushed slightly, how much had he seen?

A little voice started whispering next to her ear,_ 'I seriously hope that for your sake, he didn't see when you started yelling at turnip number 7...' _Claire groaned inwardly as she realized that little voice came from a mini angel Claire.

Claire mumbled "Great, I so don't need this right now. Go away..."

"Excuse me?" Gray asked.

Claire blushed again, "Oh! Sorry! I wasn't talking to you! I was... uh thinking about something else!" Angel Claire huffed '_I was only trying to help_.' And 'poof'-ed away.

Claire shook her head and walked up to Gray, "So, you wanted something?"

Gray looked down at her, "I just wanted to-"

"Claire!!" The unexpected outburst made Claire jump back. Why was everyone calling out to her this morning? In the distance she saw Ann, Elli and Popuri making their way towards her, waving excitedly . They were all smiling brightly and were holding big bags. Puzzled, Claire waved back, not noticing as Gray slipped inside the Forge without another word.

"Hi girls..." Claire said as the trio arrived in front of her, "What's up?"

Ann beamed at her, "What would you think of a 'girls' day out'?" Popuri and Elli giggled in agreement.

Claire cocked her head to the side, "'Girls' day out'?"

"We were thinking about going to the beach for the day and you know, gossiping, having fun, painting our nails and all that jazz," Elli explained, "Girl stuff."

"Not to mention the awesome picnic that Ann's dad prepared!" Popuri added.

Claire giggled, "That sounds awesome! But..." Her sudden death glare became so murderous that Elli, Popuri and Ann instinctively stepped back , "I have to finish harvesting my turnips..."

Ann grinned, "No worries! We'll help out!"

Popuri giggled, "Yeah, with the four of us? It's going to be a piece of cake!"

For the next thirty minutes, Origami watched with amusement as the four girls battled against the evil vegetables.

When the torture finally ended, Ann fell back with a 'thud'. She was panting slightly with tight shut eyes while the others sat next to her, massaging their aching backs.

"I never knew harvesting turnips would be this hard..." Elli said with a groan.

"Me neither," Claire mumbled, "Thanks for the help by the way, I would have died if you hadn't come along..."

"Really?" Ann said, an eye opening and a mischievous grin appearing, "I disagree, after all, Gray did ask you if you needed help..."

Claire blushed and looked away. Sensing her new friend's distress, Elli cleared her throat.

"We should get going..." Eager to get away from Ann, Claire nodded, jumped up quickly and went to get their bags.

Ann sent Elli a reproachful look but the nurse just shrugged while Popuri smiled, amused.

Claire came back with all the bags, "Let's go!"

**The beach,**

The quiet beach was... not so quiet anymore. A few minutes ago, four girls had arrived, all smiles and giggles. Right now, they were arguing about where to sit.

"I'm telling you, we should sit on the stairs!" Ann said.

"No way! It's not comfortable and even though the view is great, it would block the way!" Elli countered.

"Fine!" Popuri said, "We should sit on the bench next to the Snack Shack!"

"Absolutely no way!" Claire burst out, "It's impossible to sit there! I know! I tried! But all it does is tell me the rules for playing Frisbee with my dog!" She glared at the said bench and muttered something about 'evil talking benches'.

Everyone stared at the blond for a second or two before Ann cleared her throat,

"Ok... how about on the pier?"

"Oh no!" Claire said, reacting violently again, "The guy from the Chinese mafia might try to kidnap us!"

Silence once again.

Ann sighed, "Claire, I already told you, Won isn't... Oh whatever. Let's sit in the middle of the beach."

Everyone nodded in agreement and settled on the warm sand. The girls chatted while Elli painted Popuri's nails. The subjects were simple really and didn't vary much; boys, work, new gossip and boys.

An hour later, in the middle of a sentence, Ann stopped talking and an evil grin grew on her face.

"Loser walks into the ocean for a few feet! Rock, paper, scissors!" She suddenly yelled. Everyone reacted instantly.

"...Darn it!" Claire yelled, Elli, Popuri and Ann had done rock. She had done scissors, "How did you know I was going to do scissors?"

"It's scientifically proven that people will most likely start with scissors," Elli explained, "Therefor it's safer to start with rock."

Claire pouted, "No fair! That's cheating!" but she got up nonetheless, rolled her pants up and took off her shoes and socks. Ann smirked and high-fived Popuri.

Slowly, Claire walked into the water. With surprise, she realized that the water wasn't cold, just cool. It actually felt quite nice. She turned around to face her friends.

"You know, this isn't so bad..." Claire continued taking small steps forward, enjoying the soothing feeling.

"Actually," Ann said, "I was hoping that it would have been Elli or Popuri. It would have been hilarious seeing as they have those enormous poofy skirts."

Popuri glared at Ann before turning back to Claire who was about as far as the end of the pier. She was now into the water until her knees and looked like she was really enjoying herself.

"Uh, Claire?" Popuri called out, "If I was you, I wouldn't go any farther!"

"Why not?" Claire asked, laughing, "This is so refreshing! And it's only knee-deep!" Famous last words. It was true, until the ground suddenly gave out under her. Claire disappeared under the water with a terrified 'eep!'.

"Claire!" Elli yelled, while Ann was rolling on the ground with laughter. The blond resurfaced with a gasp and swam back until she could touch the ground again then ran back to the shore.

"W-what the heck was t-that?!" Claire spluttered. Elli gave in to her nurse instincts and took out a towel from her bag before starting to scrub the soaking blond.

Ann giggled, "The water is pretty shallow until the end of the pier, then it suddenly becomes very deep. Didn't you wonder how Zach managed to bring the boat all the way over here?"

Claire glared at Ann and hissed. Although with her wet hair, it only managed to make her look like an angry kitten.

"I did try to warn you..." Popuri said with a smirk.

"What kind of warning was that? 'If I was you I wouldn't go any further' !?" Popuri just shrugged.

"Calm down kitty!" Ann said, she started unpacking her bag, "How about some hot chocolate?"

Claire tried to keep her face normal but Ann noticed the blond licking her lips. Claire had a weakness for hot chocolate.

"Ok! Hot chocolate coming right up!"

A few minutes later and a steaming cup of chocolate in her hands, Claire was smiling brightly, all nasty thoughts of revenge for the 'swim' forgotten. For now.

Elli was sitting to her right, she looked thoughtful.

"Is there a problem Elli?" Claire asked.

Elli shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I'm not sure if I should expect anything from Trent on the 14th... I don't want to have my hopes crushed but I don't want to not believe in him..."

"Well at least you might get some!" Ann retorted, laying on her stomach in front of the others, "Cliff is so shy that I bet even if we were _married_ he would still hesitate before giving me any! So I'm not getting my hopes up."

"Oh right," Popuri said suddenly, looking at Claire, "On the 14th of Spring, the guys are supposed to-"

"Give cookies to the girls they like. It's the Spring Thanksgiving but there's no turkey." Claire finished, "Do you get any Popuri?"

"Uh..." Popuri blinked, "Right, uh, I get some from Kai... by mail."

Ann smirked and slapped Popuri playfully on the shoulder, "Show-off!" Popuri giggled.

As the day wore on, Claire made strong friendship bonds with Elli, Popuri and Ann. At the end of the day, people could have said they had been friends for a very long time. Claire had such a great time that her memories didn't bother her once. She didn't even think about it.

The same could not be said for the night she went through. Claire slept very little. Every time she closed her eyes, the same images popped up.

_Flash_

…

"_But it's my birthday!" a young girl._

…

"_I don't know honey..." a woman._

…

"_Please!" the girl is almost crying._

…

"_Fine." the woman looks away and at her husband._

…

"_Thank you mom! Thank you dad!"_

…

_The door slams shut, the family is gone._

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**Voila!**

**Gray chickened out! Pschaw. Chiicken. *Gray sends a death glare at me* Eep! Sorry!**

**FYI; the memories won't be in chronological order, they're going to be completely random! It will make sense later in the story ^^ .**

**I had a hard time ending this chapter... I'm too eager to start writing chapter 7 *sigh***

**El: I wonder how you're going to be able to write chapter 6 when you're focused on the one that comes after...**

**Me: I'll manage... Reviews will help me!**

**El: Yes please review!**


	6. Happy birthday! Or not

**Thank you for all the reviews!**

**And MarianFontz, you seem to have this sort of psychic power to know when Angel and/or Devil Claire will appear... Good job XD**

**Disclaimer: Santa didn't allow me to take over Natsume this year again, so I still don't own Harvest Moon... Maybe next year...**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

Claire yawned sleepily as she shuffled around her tiny house. Getting up in the morning was _hard_. The blonde decided quickly to drink coffee, nothing else would wake her up and she had a lot to do.

With a cup of caffeine in her hand, the smell alone allowing her eyes to open normally instead of drooping, Claire quickly changed out of her pajamas into blue jeans, a lavender sleeveless shirt and a gray jacket. While sipping her coffee and feeling more awake with every second, Claire walked up to her calender. Today was the 6th of Spring. Claire frowned. 6th of Spring... There was something she had to remember, something important. Something that wouldn't come back to her mind.

While she washed her cup, Claire went over the possibilities. Was it a wedding? No... A party? A festival? Double no. _'...Birthday you idiot! It's Jill's birthday!'_ Claire jumped back slightly. Great. Both Angel Claire and Devil Claire were here now.

Angel glared at Claire,_ 'I can't believe you forgot! I thought you would have learned your lesson last time!'_

Claire tilted her head to the side._ Last time?_

Devil sneered, _'You don't remember that either? That's it! Time for a flashback!'_

_**Flashback**_

_Claire was sitting in her tiny living room in her apartment. She was exhausted and had decided to watch TV, the cartoons burning the few brain cells she had left at the moment._

_Driing! Claire jumped up at the scratchy and annoying sound the phone made when it rang. Irritated, she picked it up._

"_Claire Collins," she mumbled._

"_Hi Claire! This is Jill!" Claire arched an eyebrow, why was her cousin calling her?_

"_Hi Jill. Is there a problem?" Claire asked, Jill's voice was too sweet._

"_Nooo, not at all except that..." Jill paused and Claire felt fear settle in her stomach, what had she done now? "Except that... YOU FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY AGAIN!!"_

_Oops. Claire's brain went into hyper mode, trying to find an excuse. A light bulb appeared over her head._

"_I didn't forget Jill! I was just tired so I couldn't call this morning, I was going to call you later anyway!" Claire smirked, proud with her excuse, she was awesome._

"_Nice try Claaaiiire," Jill said drawing out her name, "But that excuse won't work. My birthday was three weeks ago."_

Oh._ Claire laughed nervously, boy was she in trouble now! This had to be the fourth year in a row she forgot..._

"_I'm going to warn you one last time Claire," Jill said, her voice murderous, "If you forget next year, I will find you. Wherever you are, I'll find you and I'll chop half of your hair off in your sleep!"_

_Claire gulped and her hand went instinctively to her hair, her beautiful long hair._

"_Anyway, it was nice talking to Clairie!" Jill said, all bubbly and all smiles once again._

_The line went dead as Jill hung up. As she put the phone down, Claire promised herself to never, never forget her cousin's birthday ever again._

_**End Flashback**_

Claire stood in front of her sink with her mouth wide open. Satisfied, Angel and Devil Claire 'poof'-ed away. The young woman snapped out of her trance and into action, running out of her house.

"I have to find a phone!!"

**The Inn**

Gray got up from the table where he was eating breakfast, preparing himself mentally for another day at work. Even if it was his day off, Saibara wanted Gray to work a few extra hours. The old nag. Gray walked towards the door, nodding good-bye to Ann and Cliff. The latter completely oblivious to the way Ann was trying to flirt with him. With a chuckle Gray opened the door. Only to be knocked down to the floor and momentarily overwhelmed by blond locks and the smell of lily shampoo.

"Oof," Gray breathed out, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. _Ouch, that stings._

Claire looked down and blushed bright red at their current position. How did she end up straddling him?! She quickly stood up and offered Gray a hand.

"So sorry!" Claire squeaked, "I need a phone!" And she was off.

Gray blinked, he didn't have time to put in a single word! Shrugging slightly, the redhead stepped outside. _She didn't even let me say hi.. _he thought reproachfully_. _Gray blinked again, what the heck had he just thought? That was weird... Weirder still was the fact that he _cared_ about greeting her. He never cared if he forgot to say hi to someone!

_Admit it,_ a little voice whispered in the back of his head,_ you're interested by this girl. She wasn't afraid of you and instead of cowering when you snapped at her, she snapped right back! You've got to admit you're a bit curious! Not to mention she's as slippery as an eel... _Gray sighed, why were little voices always right? It was true that all the girls in this town were either scared of him or his sister. And even then, Ann would always find a reason to leave when he started becoming less... pleasant.

Ok, so this girl, Claire caught his attention. So? It wasn't like they were friends. Gray winced immediately, he could almost see the little voice materializing behind him to smack him on the head. _That's why you want to know her you idiot! You'd like her to be a friend! I can't believe I'm the conscience of somebody this thick-headed!_

Gray sighed as he entered his grandfather's shop. This was going to be a long day.

**The Inn again**

Claire bit her lip as she held the phone next to her ear. _Come on!_ She thought, _come on, answer! _As time passed and no one picked up,Claire's mind began drifting off, the encounter with Gray had been embarrassing to say in the least. She realized that they still hadn't talked under normal circumstances.

Too wrapped up in her own thoughts, Claire didn't realize that Jill finally answered the phone.

"Hello? Who is this?" Claire didn't respond, her mind floating around somewhere else.

Jill stayed silent for a second, "Haha, very funny." And hung up.

The dial tone rang harshly in Claire's ears, _what? Oops. _Burning from embarrassment, Claire quickly called her cousin again.

"Yes?" Jill's snapped as she answered.

"Hey Jill?" Claire said, mustering up some cheerfulness in her voice, "Happy birthday!"

"..." Claire snickered, she could picture Jill standing there with her mouth wide open.

"Surprised? See I didn't forget!" Claire said, smiling brightly, "Ever since you told me to never forget about it, well... I didn't!"

"Claire?" Jill's voice was emotionless.

"Yeah?"

"Remember how last year, when I threatened you, it was on the 6th of Spring? What did I tell you?"

"You told me you would chop my hair off!" Claire said, proud of herself.

"I told you that my birthday was three weeks earlier." Jill said, her voice dangerously soft, "My birthday isn't on the 6th of Spring. It's the 12th of Winter."

"...!" Claire's voice stayed in her throat, "12th of Winter?"

Jill laughed at the stunned silence, "It's ok Claire, at least you remembered something... You always were a bit of an airhead so this was a nice surprise..."

"Yeah, I kno-what?!" _Airhead?_

"Anyway, I've got to go! Bye Claire!"

"But I...!" Claire sighed and put the phone down, Jill had hung up. _Stupid witch with a b..._

**Later that afternoon**

Gray slammed the door of the Forge. _Stupid old man! _The redhead was pissed. Extremely pissed. His extra day of 'work' had been spent arguing with his grandfather. Saibara had started making sarcastic comments the moment Gray had put his foot inside the workshop. So of course, they had started fighting. And like most of the time, Gray had stormed out of the workshop a few hours later without having done any work.

Grumbling under his breath, the redhead decided to go pound a few rocks in the mines to cool his temper. With decided steps, he stomped down the path towards the forest and consequently the mines. As he approached the small path that would lead him to Gotz's house, Gray passed Popuri who gave the a small cry of fright and jumped out of the way.

_Wow_, Gray thought, _I must look really angry. Eh, whatever... _He continued on his way. As he came near the carpenter's house, something caught his eye. There, hiding behind the house facing away from him was the little blond that had occupied his mind earlier that day. She was looking around the corner at something that Gray couldn't see. Anger was completely washed away and forgotten in the dust to be replaced by curiosity. _What is she doing? _Puzzled, Gray saw that she had a few sheets of paper and a red marker laying on the ground next to her feet.

For a few moments, Gray stood there, uncertain of what his next actions where going to be._ Should I go over and talk to her? _A minute later, Gray sighed and turned to continue on his way. _I'm a coward. _But slender fingers wrapped around his arms and pulled him next to the house before he could take three steps.

Surprised, Gray looked down and saw Claire smiling at him brightly, a finger on her lips.

"Don't make a sound," she whispered and she turned back around to peek around the corner of the house.

"What do you mean-" Gray didn't have time to finish his sentence as a hand clamped over his mouth, efficiently making him shut up. Claire looked at him with an annoyed expression.

"I told you to not make a sound!" she mumbled quietly, "if they hear us, we're dead!"

Gray arched an eyebrow. _…? _Claire slowly removed her hand.

"You can look too, but try to be discreet and do not get in my way, understood?"

"But I..." Gray was careful to keep his voice low as he pointed towards the mines.

Claire shook her head, "They'll see you." And without another explanation, she turned around to peek again. Gray sighed but decided to see what the whole thing was about and shifted so he could sneak glances around the corner too.

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**Hihi, another tiny cliffhanger XD but this one isn't too dramatic so no worries...**

**But this chapter...! It took such a long time to write!**

**Uh, so I won't be able to write that much anymore since I'm getting out of the hospital and I have to catch up all the work I missed ^^' but I'll try to upload the next chappie as soon as possible.**

**El: Sure... Please review! That will make her write faster!**

**Me: Totally! Nothing makes me more determined than a good review!**


	7. Matchmaking! Kinda

**I AM ALIVE!**

**Wow, I was gone for a week. Hm... school work is hard to catch up on in the middle of a 'let's dump tons of pop quizzes on the innocent students!' phase...**

**...Anyway. Thankies for the review!!!**

**Disclaimer: ...This is the disclaimer.**

**El: R&R people!**

**Oh, to make up for the long wait, I made this chapter slightly longer ^^**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**After the phone call with Jill**

Claire walked aimlessly outside, not knowing what to do. Ann was busy with new costumers, Popuri was feeding her chickens and Elli was working too. The blonde sighed, she didn't even have to water her plants, the weather girl had forecast rain at the end of the afternoon. She didn't have to buy groceries, that was taken care of yesterday. _Maybe I should buy chickens or something... _Claire mused.

Still thinking about her might-be chickens, Claire noticed that her feet had taken her right up to the Clinic. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other,_ I don't think Elli would mind if I came in for a couple minutes... And I am so bored... _

Claire slowly opened the door and peeked towards Elli's desk. The petite nurse was nowhere to be seen. Frowning slightly, Claire entered without making a sound, afraid to disturb a patient. She stepped up to the desk, it was filled with paperwork, medical files and all that jazz. On top of all those was a little card. Claire picked it up. _'Back in 5 minutes, making more medicine.'_

_Oh._ Claire shrugged and took a few blank sheets of paper, and a red marker from Elli's desk before sitting down in a chair. Absentmindedly, she started doodling. She was so adsorbed by her little doodles that she didn't hear the conversation in the room next to her right away.

"Wow Elli, I'm impressed, you made those quickly!"

Claire perked up at the familiar voice. Who...? Ah. Trent.

Claire heard another voice, Elli "Whew, thank you."

"Tired?"

At the question, Claire sat upright, eyes wide. Why was this conversation strangely familiar?

"No, I'm fine..."

Claire put a hand over her mouth,_ Heart event! _Quickly, the blonde started scribbling on her piece of paper, she had to stop Trent from saying something he would regret!

"...Don't push yourself too much now." There, the expected sentence came. Claire stood up and went over to the door to the room in which stood Elli and the doctor. Luckily, Elli wasn't facing towards the door and only Trent could see the blond. Claire put a finger over her lips. Trent got the message and didn't ask about her presence. Meanwhile, Elli had been blushing a lot and she finally worked up the courage to say the next sentence.

"Thank you Doctor, I'm touched you're worried about me!" She smiled sweetly, still blushing. Claire immediately reacted and lifted her sheet of paper, the words on it quite clear to Trent.

"I... uh, why wouldn't I be?" Trent asked, reading off the paper in the blonde's grasp, "After all, you're a enormous part of my life, it's completely normal to be worried. And of course, the clinic would be nothing without you." _Wow,_ Trent thought, _wasn't that a bit much?_

Elli stood there, mouth wide open.

"I... Thank you so much Trent!" the little nurse exclaimed, her cheeks flushed, "You have no idea how touched I am!" and with a sudden streak of courage, Elli stretched forward on her tip-toes and kissed Trent softly on the cheek. Claire quickly leaped into her chair, hiding the piece of paper. There was a bright smile on her face and she felt... giggle-y. Elli immediately appeared next to her, leaving behind a dazzled and confused Trent. He had no idea what had just happened but he knew he was going to thank the Harvest Goddess for it. After a few more moments, Trent shrugged and turned around to go back to work.

Meanwhile Elli and Claire chatted, Elli telling her about what a romantic moment she had just lived. The little nurse's cheeks were still slightly flushed and her eyes sparkled brightly.

"I can feel it Claire!" she whispered, "I think it's not wrong to hope for something on the 14th this year!"

Claire laughed, "Of course it's not wrong, he has it bad for you!"

An hour later than the 'few minutes' she had expected to talk with Elli, Claire exited the Clinic. She was positively _glowing. _It was awesome to help friends get together. Well, they weren't together, but they were one step closer...

As her stomach grumbled, Claire laughed, she hadn't even realized it was lunch time. Her stomach was not amused and protested louder, _Okay! Let's go to the Inn to eat some lunch!_

As Claire started to walk to the Inn, she saw Ann enter the church, Claire's eyes widened. _Could it be...Again?_

Grinning, she started running to the church.

**5 minutes later**

Claire covered her mouth with her hand, trying to smother her giggles. The blonde was hiding behind a bench and had just helped another relationship with her 'psychic' powers. Right now, Ann was smothering Cliff in a hug and although the brunette seemed uncomfortable from lack of air, he didn't seem to mind the attention much. Claire almost gave herself away as she smothered another giggle._ I can't help it!_ She thought, _the _look_ on Carter's face when Ann jumped on Cliff!_

Still giggling, Claire packed her faithful sheets of paper and red marker before sneaking out the door. A few seconds later, Ann came out of the church and smiled brightly at Claire, happily surprised to see her before dragging her off to the Inn for lunch because something _awesome_ had just happened.

A few hours later, Claire decided to enjoy the last rays of sunshine by taking a walk in next to the springs. As the blonde strolled through the grass next to Gotz's house, she noticed Rick and Karen walking bye without noticing her. _No way...Again??_

_Wow,_ Claire thought,_ this is officially freaky. One, two, okay. But three heart events in one day?? … Oh well, all the more fun for me! _Claire took out her tools as she hid behind the carpenter's house, peaking occasionally at Karen and Rick to see when she would need to jump in. Right now they were talking about... Karen's new outfit. Claire rolled her eyes but stayed put.

A few seconds later though, she heard footsteps on the path behind her and she managed to spot Gray out of the corner of her eye. When he noticed her, he stopped for a second, looking uncertain. _Come here!_ Claire thought, _don't be afraid! _But with a sigh, Gray looked down at his feet and slowly started walking again, his back facing her.

_'Nice ass' _Claire's eyes almost popped out of her head as she heard the comment that Devil (who was sitting on her shoulder by the way) had let out. _You're so vulgar! _Claire thought, slightly disgusted by the perverted thoughts.

_'Not perverted, just pointing out a fact' _Devil grumbled _'Anyway, I'm not a devil for nothing...'_

_'Umm, Claire?' _Angel asked, looking slightly worried. She was sitting on Claire's other shoulder, _'Gray is going to the mines. That means Karen and Rick will see him.'_

_'Ah, touché dear colleague.' _Devil stated before they both poof-ed away.

_Oh no!_ Claire thought,_ I have to stop him from ruining an important moment of their lives!_ (1)The blonde quickly leaped to catch up with the sulking redhead. A second later, she grabbed his arm and dragged him back to her hiding place. As Gray looked at her with an confused look, Claire grinned and put a finger to her lips.

"Don't make a sound," she whispered and she turned back around to peek around the corner of the house.

"What do you mean-" Claire's eyes widened at the no-so-quiet voice Gray was using and she quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, stopping any further noises. Annoyed, she looked at Gray with an arched eyebrow. _Didn't I just tell him to be quiet?_

"I told you to not make a sound!" she mumbled quietly, "if they hear us, we're dead!"

Gray arched an eyebrow before putting on a pouty face. Claire almost rolled her eyes at the childlike behavior but she got the message and removed her hand.

"You can look too, but try to be discreet and do not get in my way, understood?" She said as softly as possible.

"But I..." Gray motioned towards the mines, his voice a barely audible whisper.

"They'll see you," Claire said as she shook her head, she was about to add more when Rick said the sentence she had been waiting for. Without another word she quickly turned around.

"We used to play here all the time!" Perfect.

"We played games like tag, kick the can, hide and seek... everything" Karen replied. Claire felt Gray lean in next to her, trying to see what was happening. The blonde gathered her paper and marker and started scribbling. _Quickly, I don't have much time..._

"We also wrestled, although I could never beat you..." Rick said with a laugh, failing to notice Karen's suddenly murderous gaze.

"I don't remember that." She said through her teeth. Claire raised her piece of paper. Rick noticed and narrowed his eyes, trying to read. As he got the sentence and the chance to redeem himself he immediately turned to Karen.

"I'm sorry Karen, I didn't mean it..." Rick started, Karen's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "It's just we've both grown and changed so much... You've especially become really beautiful..."

Karen's mouth hung open for a second or two before she regained her wits and jumped on the blond boy, kissing him ferociously.

Claire's smile disappeared in a second and she quickly turned around, not interested in watching the newly-founded couple make out. Gray sat down next to her, leaning his back against the house.

"So..." he started, looking at Claire who was trying to drown out the slightly disturbing noises Karen and Rick were making, "Are you telling me you go around helping people start making out?"

"No!" Claire said, slightly louder than she had meant, her cheeks becoming red, "I... just, I help my friends spark and when I saw those two, I wanted to help them too."

"Hm. Seems like that spark transformed into fire quickly." Gray muttered, trying to concentrate on anything but Karen and Rick. With a sigh, Gray looked up at the sky, only to have a smirk settle on his lips. _If only..._

Meanwhile, Claire stood up and held her hand out to Gray.

"Let's go. I don't think they'll notice." she said with a smile as she pulled the redhead up.

As the pair started walking, Claire saw the smirk that appeared on Gray's face every time he looked up to the sky.

"What's so funny?" the blonde asked, cocking her head.

Gray looked down at her, his eyes twinkling, "You know what would be funny?" he asked, "They said it was going to rain today, what if...?"

It started pouring. A blood-curling shriek was immediately heard from Karen. Gray and Claire, who had started running towards the farm, exchanged a glance and started laughing. The timing couldn't have been better.

As they arrived at the farm, Claire quickly started unlocking her door.

Gray smiled, still replaying the scream in his head over and over again. When Claire started speaking, he quickly shifted his attention to her.

"That was fun. Thanks Gray, it would have been quite embarrassing on my own..."

"Hm," Gray looked away, "Welcome. Anyway, you helped me too, it made me forget...something."

Claire nodded understandingly, she had heard Gray and his grandfather quarreling as she passed the

Forge. The blonde started opening her door.

"Oh, Claire?" Gray asked, looking unsure as he avoided eye contact with the young woman.

"Yeah?"

"You know... It's the Thanksgiving festival in a couple of days and..." The redhead hesitated for a second, "I was wondering if you could help me... Cliff asked me to help him make cookies for Ann but we don't have a kitchen... And I don't know anything about cooking... I mean, if it bothers you ok but... I understand, we barely know each other..." Gray didn't notice he was rambling. Or that this was the most he had said at one time in a year. He was just nervous. Really nervous. And he didn't even know why.

Claire laughed, "It's no problem at all Gray. Just don't forget to tell Cliff."

"...Ah," Gray stood there, mouth opening and closing, "Uh...Thanks."

Claire smiled "No problem! See you on the 14th at 7!"

Gray nodded his goodbye and started walking away. Claire smiled and closed the door.

As night fell to the soothing sound of the falling rain, Gray and Claire were both replaying the events of the day slowly in their head, especially the end of the afternoon. To the surprise of both young people, neither of them had a single dark thought lingering in their minds and sleep was blissfully nightmare-less. Or memories-less, depends how you want to call it.

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**(1)All the thinking with Devil, Claire and Angel happened really quickly, a second or two actually. Just to make things clear XD**

**Wow, that was hard to write! I'm not especially proud of this chapter but eh, it's my update...**

**Please review! Please please! (Who said I was too proud to beg?)**


	8. Cookies

**Hi! I am back! I'm so sorry! I was gone so long! I have an excuse!**

**El: And here we go... *sigh***

**Me: Some of my medicine made me become temporarily blind! *le gasp* No really, I'm not joking... So if any blind person is reading this, I understan- Wait. Blind people wouldn't be reading here! *slaps forehead***

**El: Idiot... Anyway... Enjoy and review!**

**Me: One more thing! Go read Harvest Loon's stories! They're awesome and deserve more reviews and love! Way more if you ask me! She sort of dedicated a story to me! Just go check her out! Please! ^^**

**Disclaimer: If you know what goes here, take a cookie.**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

BLAM!!

"Ack! Gray! What the heck did you do?!"

Standing in a tiny kitchen, Claire, Cliff and Gray were trying to bake cookies. Key word; trying. And they had been doing okay. Until something exploded and made them look like ghosts. The explosion had come from a bag of flour that Gray had been holding. It had suddenly burst and covered everyone and everything in the powdery substance, successfully making everyone seem pretty ghost-ly.

Claire glared at the culprit, "Are you an idiot? I told you to hold it! _Hold_ it! Not make it explode by squeezing it in your death grip!"

"Well you shouldn't have pushed me!" Gray snapped back, "I reacted instinctively!"

Claire's eyes widened slightly, "What?! I pushed you!? You can't even say 'I'm sorry'? Or 'Excuse me'? You're such a jerk!!"

As Gray narrowed his eyes dangerously as Cliff tried to speak up, "Guys...?"

"And what if I am?! You're such a-"

"GUYS!" Cliff cried out suddenly.

Claire and Gray turned to face the brunette who was currently hiding his face in his hands from embarrassment. They were blinking, shocked by the sudden outburst. Since when was Cliff the kind of guy to yell?

"C...Could you please stop fighting?" Cliff asked softly, his voice muffled.

Gray looked away and readjusted his hat, slightly embarrassed, he hadn't meant to lash out like that... Fine, he had. But he had forgotten poor Cliff. Gray would have never reacted like that if he knew it would make his friend feel so bad.

With a sigh Gray mumbled a tiny "Sorry" to Claire.

The said blonde shrugged her shoulders, making flour fly off, and let her smile slip easily back into place.

"It's okay, I did make you trip after all..." Claire admitted, "Anyway, let's make these cookies!"

Cliff smiled shyly, happy that the two had stopped fighting. Dusting himself from as much flour as possible, he went back to his previous occupation; cracking eggs without getting any pieces of that annoying shell in the batter.

**An hour and a couple failures later**

In a powdery white kitchen and looking quite proud of themselves, Cliff, Claire and Gray were inspecting their 4th batch of cookies. They had just gotten them out of the oven and it smelled delicious. Discarded in a corner, the previous batches of cookies were waiting for someone to throw them away. After all, who would want to eat plaster cookies? Or salty cookies? Let's not even talk about the ones with seaweed accidentally mixed in them...

Cliff stepped up and started piling the cookies onto a plate before covering them with the only clean cloth in the house. His smile was rivaling with Claire's and he was just glowing with happy vibes. Claire stepped up next and started nibbling on one slowly before biting a large chunk off with an enormous smile. Okay, so maybe no one could really compete with Claire when it came to having a face splitting smile...

"They're really good!" Claire exclaimed, finishing hers quickly.

Gray leaned against the counter, "So Cliff... When are you going to give them to Ann?"

Cliff hesitated for a second, "I think I'll go take a shower first... Maybe at lunch time?"

"No! Wrong choice!" Claire burst, "If I was Ann, I would personally appreciate it more if you came in covered in flour and with the cookies still warm. Two reasons; cookies taste better when still warm and seeing you covered in flour will prove that you really tried hard."

Both young men blinked at Claire.

"Wait..." Gray said slowly, "You're saying that you women in general appreciate it more when we come running in looking like a mess while holding warm cookies instead of being clean and nicely dressed and coming with cold cookies?"

Claire nodded, "Sometimes."

"Sometimes...?" Cliff and Gray exchanged a glance and sighed. _Women are so complicated..._

"So, what are you waiting for Cliff?" Claire said impatiently, didn't he listen to a word she said? "The cookies are cooling down! Go!" With a shove, Cliff was pushed brutally out the door and he stood there stunned for a second. But with a smile the brunette took off running while yelling a thanks behind his shoulder.

Claire closed the door with a giggle. Oh how she was wishing to be able to follow Cliff! She could perfectly picture the scene, Cliff would come in, blushing. The moment she saw the brunette, Ann would inwardly panic and start smoothing her clothes. The two would approach each other slowly and-

"So... Do you need help cleaning the kitchen?" Claire snapped out of her thoughts, cheeks flushing slightly, she had forgotten Gray was here!

"Sorry? I wasn't listening..."

Gray rolled his eyes, "I asked if you needed help cleaning the kitchen."

Claire looked around the kitchen. Poor thing. It looked like someone had filled a bomb with everything ever used to make a cake and added a bit of seaweed. The BOOM. After the explosion; voilà! The kitchen! Claire didn't even try to count how many dirty pots and pans were piling up in her sink. The blonde gulped at the task she was going to have to overcome.

"I...I think I need the all the help I can get," Claire said, slightly put down by the disaster in the kitchen.

Gray nodded and went to work without another word, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of a logical way to clean the room. Claire pulled up her sleeves and walked towards the sink with a determined look on her face.

As the minutes and the hours passed, the duo cleaned up the hurricane of ingredients strewn everywhere. The beginning was quite awkward to say in the least, but pretty soon, Claire had started babbling about this and that while Gray would throw in an occasional sentence.

As they found out about each other, their hobbies, the city, favorite books, music bands etc etc... The subject never got close to the one of family. It was odd but Claire, just as much as Gray just really didn't really feel like talking about the past, not wanting the risk getting lost in memories and becoming sour. If that happened, a spat would be evident, and it would break the growing friendship without a second thought.

Of course, all of this wasn't said, it was like an unspoken agreement between the two.

When they finally finished, Claire slipped down and sat down on the floor with a sigh of relief, Gray sitting next to her immediately.

"I am never making cookies with you again," Claire mumbled.

Gray smirked, "If I remember correctly, I'm not the only one to blame for the mess. _Someone_ here had the good idea to heat butter. Which turned out to be seaweed by the way. Which sort of exploded. Why do you have seaweed in your kitchen anyway?"

Claire smiled tiredly before delivering a finger-flick to Gray's arm, "Meanie..."

Gray's stomach answered by rumbling loudly, "Hungry meanie I guess," the redhead muttered, "Do you have anymore food in this house Mouse?"

Claire rolled her eyes at the nickname, "No, I don't have anymore food. I need to go to the supermarket this afternoon. And stop calling me Mouse. Or I'll call you... uh... what did I call you again?"

Gray smirked triumphantly, "I may be less creative, but at least I remember the nicknames I give. ..._Mouse_." The last word was added with a slightly provocative tone and Claire growled before finger-flicking Gray again. The redhead just chuckled softly.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I don't have anymore food. But it's alright, Ann invited us to eat lunch together at the Inn." Claire said, getting up slowly to go fix her hair. When the blonde saw herself in the mirror she winced. Her hair looked like it had been stuck in the mixer... With a sigh, Claire took her brush and started the ultimate battle against the knots. _Ouch! _There were so many!

As he saw her wincing with every tug of the brush, Gray sighed and got up, prying the brush from Claire's hands.

"Here," Gray said before starting to brush the blond locks softly. Claire's eyes widened.

"How... how do you know how to brush hair?!"

"Isn't it obvious...? Uh... I live with _Ann_. As in my _sister_. I learned. By force of course."

"Oh." _Touché._

**15 minutes later, the Inn.**

Claire sat in her chair, eyes staring intently at the kitchen door, waiting for the glorious food to arrive. On her left, Gray was looking at the door in a similar way. Claire felt like her stomach was trying to crawl out through her throat. _So hungry!!_

Popuri munched on a cookie with a smile, "You two look like rabid dogs!"

Two glares turned to her as two stomachs protested simultaneously. Giggling, Popuri finished her cookie, she had gotten a plate of them in the mail that morning along with a short card from her beloved Kai.

The pink-haired girl looked around the table, Cliff and Ann were chatting softly, both sitting closer to each other then they ever had. Trent and Elli were discussing a new sort of medicine, both of them intent and completely concentrated. Popuri's gaze finally fell on Gray and Claire again. They were facing each other and looked slightly irritated. Both of them had a look of intense concentration as well and Popuri wondered what the two were doing, both of their hands were under the table and they were mumbling. With a raised eyebrow, Popuri disappeared not-so-discreetly under the table and reappeared right away, holding back her laughter. The two were playing rock-paper-scissors.

When the food arrived, everyone dug in eagerly and conversation sparked up. Towards the middle of the meal, Claire perked up suddenly.

"The spring horse race is in what 3-4 days right?" she asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, on the 18th" Ann answered, "You going?"

Claire shrugged, "Depends, who else is going? I don't want to go alone..."

Everyone agreed to go to the race together. As the conversation shifted, Claire's mind wandered for awhile, _would it be possible to...?_

Poof! Devil Claire appeared, a smirk on her face, _'Would it be possible to cheat using MFoMT? Of course! All you have to do is play tonight and write the name of the winners on a piece of paper. Easy as pie!_'

Claire cackled evilly, she was going to be so much richer by the end of the festival!

Somewhere far away, another blond woman sighed as she watched the scene in her crystal ball. Part of her was satisfied and part of her...was not. Pretty soon, she would need to set things right.

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**Tadaa! Finally! XD**

**Once again, sorry for the long wait.**

**Can anyone guess who the woman is at the end? First one to get the right answer gets a cookie if we meet one day XD**

**Although I have to warn you, just like the flashbacks, this woman won't really come into the story until...later ^^**

**El: After that useless ramble of yours Mathilde, I just have to add one thing; please review!**

**Me: Yeah! Wait. Useless??**


	9. At the beach

**Please read!**

**I finally finished the drawings for the lucky winners! (the ones who reviewed every chapters so far) The links are on my profile!**

**El: They're no good.**

**Me: *cries***

**Disclaimer: Harvest Moon belongs to me. Pshaw. Did I mention that I'm also the queen of the Wheretheheckistan? =.='**

**Read, enjoy and review!**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

_If I don't get an ice cream or an ice cube or AC soon... I'm going to die. _Those words kept repeating themselves in Claire's mind. The blonde was currently sitting under her apple tree, fanning herself as best she could while sweat glistened on her forehead. _I...HATE summer._

It wasn't the heat in itself really, it was just the sensations that came with it. The sweat, the burning feeling on your scalp and the feeling of breathlessness. Not to mention the way stamina dropped quickly. And let's say that Claire needed all the stamina she had. A few days ago, Barley had given her a gorgeous foal, (She had accidentally let a little 'finally!' slip out though, Barley was surprised, to say in the least) it was magnificent and she had called it Fyre without a moment's hesitation. Except, there was one tiny problem. Fyre never stayed still. So poor Claire had to run endlessly if she wanted to feed him or brush him or anything else.

Claire grinned. At least, things were going really well with her friends. Her mind wandered to back to the beach festival.

**One week ago, the beach**

Claire grumbled under her breath as she went through her little wardrobe. _Where in the world did I put that thing? _The room was disappearing under clothes as article after article of clothing was thrown out of the wardrobe.

"Ah! Finally!" Claire beamed as she pulled out... a bright red bikini. Proud of herself, she put it down next to her feet and thought about what dress she should put over the bathing suit. The blonde hummed quietly as she looked back in her wardrobe, deciding on her pale pink dress. Until she found out that the wardrobe was empty. Blue eyes widened in shock.

Claire freaked out, "Where are my clothes?!" she stood up, eyes locked on the empty space, "Help!! Thief! I've been robbed!"

_'Look around you genius.'_ a tiny voice whispered in her ear. Claire turned her head just in time to see Angel Claire poof away. Scattered all around the room were the clothes she had thrown.

_Oh. ...Well don't I feel stupid?_

**15 minutes later**

Claire ran down the path and a few heads looked out their windows, Claire's way of running in summer was a bit... odd.. The blonde would jump under any patch of shadow she saw before sprinting under the sun and hiding in some more shadow. It was more of a game actually.

As she got to the entrance of the beach, Claire glanced down at her watch. 1 p.m. She had half an hour before the others arrived. With a glance around the beach, she noticed Popuri talking with a... guy.

Claire's eyes widened slightly, _that must be Kai! _Yes, over there, watching the sea and holding hands, Kai and Popuri were chatting, the latter's head on the tanned young man's.

A smile sprouted on Claire's face as she watched the adorable flufyness. It was just so cute! _Everything is perfect for them... _

A growl sounded behind the blonde and she turned around to see Rick marching, his face filled with fury. _Perfect... Except for that little problem._

As Rick passed her, Claire grabbed his collar and yanked him back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Claire was careful to keep her voice low.

"Stopping them! That... He.... Kai has no right to touch my sister! She's still too young!" Rick spluttered, his face red while he gingerly rubbed his neck. Claire didn't look like she had any intention of releasing him soon.

Said blonde rolled her eyes, "Popuri is quite old enough to know what she wants, thank you. I think you should cut her some slack. A lot of slack."

"But..."

"I mean it Rick, if you keep this up, she'll take the first opportunity to get out of here."

"But..."

Claire growled and glared heatedly, "Fine, you don't want to listen? Then it's blackmail time. If you get in the way of their relationship, I'll tell Karen why you two thankfully ended up making out on the forest floor instead of her chasing after you in an attempt to kill you. Capice?"

Rick opened his mouth, and immediately shut it, too afraid of that evil glint in the farmer's eyes. He nodded to show his agreement and wriggled out of her grasp. After standing there for a second or two, Rick turned around and started to take his leave. The blonde boy slowed down and glanced at Claire.

"Oh and... about that time... Thanks," Rick said, looking down at his feet.

Claire smiled, "No problem."

As Rick left Claire shook her head, _What a weird guy..._

Deciding that the two lovebirds had had enough alone time, Claire ran down the stairs leading to the warm white sand while making as much noise as possible. No use in hiding her presence and scaring them..._ Although that would have been quite fun, argh, too late now though._

**Later**

Gray's POV

"Ow!" Cliff whipped around, a frisbee had just hit him on the back of the head. As the brunet looked around for the culprit, Gray chuckled under his breath. Cliff turned back to his friend, not amused in the least.

"What are you laughing at?! That hurt!"

"Exactly," Gray replied, smirking, "Anyway, it was Ann who threw the frisbee if you want to know."

Cliff blushed but turned around anyway, "Ann! Please be more careful with that thing!"

"Sorry! Please throw it back!" Ann yelled from the other end of the beach. She was playing with Popuri, Claire and Elli and looked pumped up with that never-ending energy of hers.

"Throw it?" Cliff whispered, mostly to himself, before quickly turning to Gray, looking panicky, "Throw it for me please!" And he shoved the frisbee in the redhead's hand.

Gray raised an eyebrow, "Let me guess... Can't throw a frisbee to save your life?" Cliff nodded while Gray sighed, "Well I can't either. So you should just get up and go give it to her. Simple."

"But..." Cliff frowned, "That would look dumb... Please Gray! Try! You have to at least be better than me!" Gray groaned and hesitated for a moment before standing up.

"Dammit... You're lucky I like you Cliff," Gray mumbled under his breath. Cliff just smirked slightly as once again, puppy-face had claimed victory.

Gray narrowed his eyes at his target. A certain devil he liked to call his sister to be precise. His arm shot out and the frisbee flew across the beach. Gray watched in utter surprise as it got to Ann and... went past her and landed far away, in the water. _Wow. I wasn't _too_ far off._

Ann pouted in the distance, "Thank you Mr. Muscle-dude! Why did you throw it so far, you trying to show us how blacksmith training pays off or something?! Now one of us has to go in the water!"

Gray smirked and sat back down under the parasol, finding himself to actually be quite happy with how things had turned out. It would be a joy if his sister was chosen to get dripping wet and freezing cold. (Yes, the water was still chilly)

Cliff looked at him oddly, "Can't throw it to save your life huh?"

Gray smiled slightly, "Shut up."

Claire's POV

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"..."

"..."

Ann sighed and pulled her hand back, "Claire, when I yell 'Rock, paper, scissors' you're supposed to react!"

Claire didn't answer, her eyes were blank and she was blinking repeatedly. In her head the images of the moment she had just seen were in replay mode. _Gray in swimming trunks, Gray without a shirt... _Claire was sure that if she was in an anime right now, she would be suffering from major nosebleed. With a shake of her head, she came back to reality only to find two worried faces and one angry face looking at her.

_Oops, I must have missed something important..._"Uh... hi."

Elli touched Claire's forehead, checking for fever, "Are you alright? You really spaced out for a moment..."

Claire blushed slightly, "I'm fine!" the blonde started to panic inwardly. _Please oh goddess almighty! Please don't let Ann figure out what I was thinking about!_

"What were you thinking about Claire? Looked interesting." Ann said, a smile slowly creeping up on her face.

Claire had to keep herself from face-palming. _That's it. The goddess hates me._

"Come one Claire!" Ann urged, the smile much wider, "Who were you thinking about?!"

"Huh?" Claire astounded, "How did you know I was thinking of someone and not something?!" Upon realizing her mistake, Claire clamped her hands over her mouth, her face flushing an unsightly red.

"Ha! I knew it!" Ann laughed triumphantly, "Well since you were spacing out and thinking about my brother while we were deciding something crucial, _you _shall have to go fetch the frisbee from the freezing waters!"

Claire grumbled and started tying her hair up. There was no way she would get salt in her hair like that.

"Oh, Claire?" Elli asked, way too sweetly, "If I was you... I would hurry, the frisbee is drifting away."

"Ack!" Claire ran into the water without a second thought, the cold not catching up to her immediately. As she splashed in the shallow part of the beach, getting closer and closer, she hoped that the frisbee wasn't in the deep part of the sea.

Splash! Claire went underwater the moment she grabbed the frisbee, the ground no longer hard under her feet. The cold caught her suddenly and her eyes widened as memories assaulted her mind. The water had been cold that night too.

_Flash_

…

_A blond girl struggled uselessly against the heavy weight on top of her._

…

_Water rose slowly and her leg was now completely submerged, it was cold... So cold..._

…

_She was stuck... Helpless..._

…

"_Help me! Please!"_

…

Splash! Claire gasped as she was pulled out of the darkness. Under her feet was the familiar sensation of sand and the water was back to her knees. Clutching the frisbee tightly, Claire looked up to meet angry blue eyes.

"What the hell was that for?!" Gray yelled. Yes, Claire had been saved from drowning by Gray, a very pissed and wet Gray.

Claire frantically looked around, noting to her utter dismay that everyone was staring at her. _Make up an excuse Claire! Quickly!_

"I was uh... thinking."_ Oh, brilliant, simply brilliant_ "I had a sudden epiphany."

Gray stared down at the little blonde, "...What? Underwater? And you felt no need whatsoever to come back to the surface?"

"Uuh..." Claire looked away. The whole situation was simply too embarrassing. Gray was standing way too close to her and the flashback was making her brain fuzzy. She didn't remember him saving her...

Gray waited for a while before sighing, "So... what was that awesome idea of yours?"

_Shoot, invent something smart this time! _"I was thinking we could all go in town next week!" _...Not bad._

Gray turned around and started walking back to the beach, "Ch. Next time you get the need to have an 'epiphany', do it somewhere safe."

"Sure thing. No problemo," Claire smiled brightly and skipped back to the beach, plans of murder for a certain redheaded girl forming in her mind.

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**That was... long! And the end was reaaally bad xD Don't kill me! I tried!**

**El: Claire's flashback make no sense whatsoever.**

**Me: Hey! Evil...**

**El: Meh, nobody reads the author's note anyway.**

**Me: You're mean today! *sulks in emo corner***

**El: Whatever. Review please.**


	10. Flashback

**Man did this take a long time to write or what? I had a lot of trouble with it =.= **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon! *Pouts***

**Read and Review!**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

Claire jolted awake as her head banged against the icy window. With a groan, she rubbed her head and looked around, trying to remember where she was. The blonde was in a tiny room full of seats. Out the window, the only thing she could see was water. _Water? Oh right... the ship. We're going in town today.... _It was very early, around 5am or so and everyone was dozing off, lulled by the rocking of the boat. Well, except for Popuri, the poor girl was as pale as a sheet and she was griping onto Kai like he was her lifeline.

Claire looked around at the other familiar faces one by one; Ann and Cliff in the seats in front of hers, Gray in the seat right next to her and Trent, Elli, Kai and Popuri on the other side of the tiny cabin.

Claire smiled encouragingly at her pink-haired friend. Motion sickness _sucked_, really bad. Claire was rewarded with a forced half-smile while Kai rubbed Popuri's arm soothingly.

A sudden weight on her shoulder made Claire turn around. Blue eyes widened as she realized that it was Gray's head which had lolled in his sleep. Not knowing what to do, Claire stayed still, her face burning. Thoughts were whizzing through her mind but only one was perfectly clear, _Please, goddess almighty, make it that Ann doesn't wake up before her brother!_

Ann groaned from her seat and rubbed her eyes, slowly waking up. Claire's eyes narrowed. ..._The world hates me._ Thinking quickly, Claire did the only thing she could think of, she let her head fall on Gray's and pretended to be asleep.

Claire stayed in that position until she heard Ann chuckle evilly, get up and leave, presumably to go to the bathroom. Well at least that's what the blonde would have liked to believe. Unfortunately, a gnawing feeling in her stomach told her of how wrong she was. Quickly, she opened her eyes and proceeded to poke Gray relentlessly. The redhead only groaned and shifted, bringing his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. At least his head was off her shoulders. As Ann came back, Claire smiled at her and went to say good morning but the words stuck in her throat. Her eyes narrowed as she recognized the object Ann was holding.

"...Ann? Why do you have a camera?"

**A few hours later**

Claire looked around, slightly amazed at the enormous mall ahead of them. She had only been in Mineral Town for a season and yet it seemed like she had never seen a mall. Living in that small town, it felt like nothing else existed, like the outer world was just a myth.

As everyone strolled inside, the girls immediately saw a shop full of the latest clothes, accessories and other stuff like that. The weight of their full wallets (thanks to the horse races and Claire's psychic powers) was suddenly very obvious and a glint lit the eyes of the young women. They exchanged glances and looked back at their oblivious male partners. With an evil smile that could very well rival with the devil's, the girls dragged the poor, poor guys into the shop.

In a room somewhere, a person was watching images transmitted by the safety cameras located throughout the shop. He hated his job, to be honest. But there were some quirks that made it much easier. Like watching the new group of women terrorize and mentally scar their male partners by showing them how many different brands of mascara there were.

The man laughed as he saw one boy being forced to try on the said mascara. He had long brown hair tied up in a low ponytail and he had a horrified look on his face while everyone laughed. After the mascara, lipstick was forced upon him too and it looked like the young man was going to faint. The next victim was a man with a purple bandanna and tan skin. He was forced into a pair of golden, glittery strap-on sandals. With heals a few inches high of course. Immediately after, a young man with a hat that had the word UMA on it was tackled to the ground. The hat was thrown off to show his brilliant messy mop of red hair and a girl with similar features tied pink bows into it. The last victim was a man with onyx hair. Poor guy had to wear large clip-on earrings and a tiara.

The man watching the videos almost choked on his doughnut as he laughed. This was just too funny. He wouldn't mind at all if this gang came back everyday. That would definitely make his job easier. And it was with sadness that he saw them go, a few hours later, the guys' arms full of different bags.

Outside, Claire was smiling brightly, proud with her purchases. The shopping spree had been really fun and they even had managed a mini 'makeover' on the guys. As she chatted with her friends, Claire noticed that the guys were lagging behind. She nudged Ann who turned around and saw them, a depressed look on their faces, arms full with bags and a tiny pink bow each in their hair. Yes, a tiny pink bow. After trying them on Gray, Popuri had decided that it was just completely adorable and that they had to buy them.

Ann smirked and pulled her camera out of her pocket. This would be a trip to remember.

Cliff was talking with Kai … Well it would be more considered complaining... While Gray cursed under his breath and Trent stayed silent. When a sudden flash of light made them freeze on spot. As the tiny spots of white faded from their eyes, they saw Ann, an evil smirk on her face and a camera in her hands.

"Smile everyone!" And the downpour of flashes started, blinding them instantly.

Half an hour later found them in a little restaurant, drinking lemonade. Gray sighed in relief as he stretched his arms, smirking when his shoulders gave a satisfactory 'pop'.

Claire grimaced, "That's gross Gray."

Said redhead just shrugged and avidly started gulping down his drink. Casual conversation drifted over and time passed slowly. As the sun rose higher in the sky, they ordered lunch. When their meals arrived, Claire sighed and looked out the window. As nice as the atmosphere was and as delicious and mouth-watering as the food was, her spirit was low and she sighed often. The blonde played around with her food, only finishing half her plate before staring out the window again. Elli noticed and arched an eyebrow.

"Claire? Are you alright?" the little nurse asked, perhaps Claire had gotten a sunstroke? After all, the sunlight was rather harsh on that day.

Claire jolted at her name, "Yes?"

Silence fell slowly around the table as they gazed worriedly at the young farmer.

"Are you alright?" Elli repeated.

Claire felt her face flush, "Yeah, I'm fine. Perfectly fine!"

Gray rolled his eyes, "Cut the crap Claire. You're not. It's really obvious."

"Yeah," Ann said, "You know you can tell us anything!"

Claire opened her mouth and closed it a few times, hesitating. With a sigh she briefly glanced out the window again while the gazes of her friends pierced into her.

"It's... sort of a long story..." Claire hesitated again.

"And we've got a long time to spend with nothing particular to do," Kai said as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Claire gazed at them one by one, knowing they would insist until she cracked, "...Fine. It happened about three years ago..."

_Flashback_

_Claire was in a tiny living room, sitting on a couch with her knees up and her arms wrapped around them. The girl was pouting as she fought the tears that stung at her eyes. It was so unfair! They had promised! Promised!_

"_Hey sis, you alright?" someone asked from next to her. It was a young man with messy brown hair and chocolate eyes. He seemed about two years older than his sister._

_As Claire promptly ignored him. The young man's eyes twitched in annoyance._

_He started poking the blonde, "Claaaire... Claaaire... Claire..."_

"_Alright! What do you want Jack?!" Claire snapped._

"_Chill! I just wanted to say that if you have a problem, you should go talk about it to mom and dad instead of sulking here like the spoiled brat you are," Jack said simply, ruffling his sister's hair._

_Claire slapped his hand away but smiled and got up. She headed down the hallway to a door on the end. Light seeped under through the crack at the bottom. Claire inhaled deeply and puffed out her cheeks determinedly before opening the door. In the simple bedroom a man was sitting at a desk, filling out paperwork. He had blond hair with a few streaks of gray and he was frowning as he concentrated. He looked stunningly like Jack. On the bed, a woman with long brown hair was reading a sort of novel. She had stunning blue eyes and her face was almost precisely the same as her daughter's except for a few dark rings under her eyes, betraying slight exhaustion. The couple looked up as Claire stepped inside._

"_Hello honey," the woman said in a soft voice, "Is there something you'd like?"_

"_..." Claire frowned, "You know what I want! Why can't we go?!"_

_The man turned around and looked at his daughter, "You know why we can't go to the Pet Shop or Center or whatever to get you a puppy! It's raining buckets and we didn't change the tires on the car yet! An accident could happen!"_

"_But it's my birthday!" Claire cried out desperately. Jack, who had joined them, leaned against the doorway and listened intently._

"_I don't know honey..." the woman hesitated._

"_Please!" Claire cried out, tears coming into her eyes._

"_...Fine," the woman relented and looked at her husband who nodded his agreement._

_Claire wiped the tears away, "Thank you mom! Thank you dad!"_

_Jack rolled his eyes and closed the jacket he had slipped on, knowing perfectly well that it would end like this. After everyone was bundled up, the family left._

…

_Later in the car, it was dark, night was falling. The man was tense, concentrating on a road he could barely see. Suddenly, bright headlights were in front of them, bursting through the curtain of water that was the outside._

"_Be careful honey!" the woman screamed as her husband swerved the steering wheel, clearing the road. As he tried to turn the other way, he noticed that the car was not responding. The timeworn tires were slipping on the soaked asphalt._

_Claire shrieked in terror as the car went over the edge of the road at high speed and she clutched desperately onto her brother. An enormous crash was heard and shards of glass were falling around her. Claire shrieked again as something atrociously heavy landed onto her right leg. She was silenced as her mind became too fuzzy to think properly. The car had fallen into a ditch full of water._

"_M-mom? D-ad?" Claire managed to croak out, she was met with silence, "Jack?!" More silence._

_She could feel his body under hers but he wasn't moving. The blond girl struggled uselessly against the heavy weight on top of her. With a terrified gasp, she felt water touch her ankle. The icy water rose slowly and her leg was now completely submerged, it was cold... So cold... She was stuck... Helpless..._

_Suddenly, an ambulance screamed in the background. Claire mustered whatever strength_

_she had left for one last desperate scream, "Help me! Please!"_

_Darkness._

_End Flashback_

Claire slowly opened the eyes she had closed while she had been telling the story. Everyone was just sitting there. Blinking.

Kai grimaced, "Ouch."

Popuri glared reproachfully at her boyfriend, "Not the right thing to say Kai."

"So let me guess," Trent said, pulling out his 'awesome doctor attitude', "You felt guilty for the accident, which happened not far from here. Coming back here triggered your memory into action making you feel the guilt all over again and therefor explaining your melancholic mood and absent gaze."

Gray rolled his eyes, "All in all, you're just thinking about it and feeling depressed."

Ann laughed at the simplified version while Trent sighed and mumbled under his breath about 'not being appreciated enough'.

"Well, yeah that's kind of it," Claire admitted.

"So... Did anyone except you survive?" Cliff asked softly.

"My brother, but he's in coma right now," Claire answered. Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say.

"Well, I know how to make everyone feel better!" Kai exclaimed suddenly.

Gray readjusted his hat and grumbled, "Here it comes."

Kai stood up proudly and pointed out the window, "We should go to that fair!"

Trent and Gray just grumbled some more while everyone smiled and decided it was a good idea. Ann punched her brother and told him to 'stop being a wet blanket'. Everybody got busy with packing their stuff, paying for their food etc etc before they left the building. Claire smiled and followed them, letting the conversations drift over her in a pleasant sort of way. Ann and Gray were arguing, no surprise there, while Cliff listened to them. Trent and Elli, well, Elli was just talking about this and that while Trent would throw in a sentence or two. Kai an Popuri were behind the others, exchanging sweet words of 'I love you' 'You're beautiful' etc etc...

At the fair, everyone relaxed and split into groups of two to cover the fair faster. Claire ended up with Gray, no big surprise there either. Instead of going to a stand with books or something boring, Gray surprised her as he pointed at the Ferris wheel. Nodding happily, Claire grabbed his hand and skipped over to the queue that was formed next to the entry of the giant wheel.

Once inside, Claire immediately squashed her face against the window happily while Gray just took a seat. No one said a word as they started moving and the ground grew farther and farther away. Claire admired her used-to-be-home attentively. It was nice, she had to admit but she preferred Mineral Town and it's clean paved roads and overflowing nature. Gray shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Claire turned around to look at her friend, curious as to what was bothering him.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

Gray jolted, surprised, "Well... Uh, I know it's far away... Really far away as a matter of fact... But... would you like to go to the Fireworks festival with me? As friends of course."

Slightly disappointed at the 'just friends' part, Claire still felt an enormous bubble of happiness grow in her. She nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Sure! But why do you ask now? The festival is in three weeks!"

Gray shrugged and looked out the window at the city. Claire sighed, when something pink crossed her view. The blonde giggled before laughing quietly.

Gray looked at her, confused, "What is it?"

"All of you are still wearing that little pink bow!"

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**So here it was! The long, not funny and angsty tenth chapter! But hey! I got to chapter 10! I never thought I was going to make it this far! XD**

**El: Hope you enjoyed and please review.**


	11. Fireflies

**Yay! Chapter 11! OMG!! I passed the 50 reviews mark! Thank you everyone! *sniff***

**El: Hn. To celebrate that, we have a special guest! Claire!**

**Claire: Hullo everyone!**

**Me: Please tell us what you think of Déjà Vu.**

**Claire: Well, first of all, I know you're completely crazy. Second, when I see what's going to happen in the story, I think you're just a complete lunatic. Except for that, it's okay.**

**El: I like this girl!**

**Me: Whatever... *depressed* Please do the Disclaimer Claire...**

**Claire: No problem! Someoneudontknow5 does NOT own Harvest Moon and let's all be thankful she doesn't!**

**Me: Hey! I-ah whatever, on with the story... Warning! Sugar-high induced chapter! Could be considered a filler of some kind...**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

Ann's POV (Weren't expecting that were you?)

I sat in my room, smoothing out my black dress as I waited impatiently for Cliff to arrive. I still couldn't get over the fact that he had asked me to the Fireworks Festival. Worried about not looking good enough, I checked myself in the mirror for the thousandth time and fixed details that only I could perceive. As I re-re-re-checked my face in the mirror I suddenly realized that while I had been stressing out, I had completely forgotten to put makeup on. Acting quickly, I rushed to my desk, grabbed a stick of lipstick, ran back to the mirror and started applying it. Hurry up Ann!

The door opened suddenly and I jolted with surprise. Was Cliff here already? But I wasn't ready! Looking in the mirror, I saw my father standing in the doorway, looking a bit hesitant.

"Hi dad!" I laughed, relieved, "You scared me!"

Dad just stood there some more before walking over next to me and looking at our reflection. His eyes were shining with emotions. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he cut me off.

"You and your brother grew up so fast..." he whispered, "Especially you Ann. Yesterday you were just a little girl helping me make cookies and now... You're an exact replica of your mother... You don't know how proud I am."

I tried to hide the tears that were prickling at the back of my eyes, "Dad! Don't go all emotional on me! I'm going to end up crying and ruining my mascara! Which I still haven't put on by the way! And you sound like an old man!" I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Dad chuckled, "I'm not as young as I used to be, I admit. It's just you look so much like her... Especially in that dress, she had a very similar one."

I laughed and flung my arms around him, hugging him tightly as the tears threatened to spill. I missed my mom more than ever suddenly.

A cough was heard from the doorway. I looked over to see Gray standing there in a light blue button up shirt and black jeans. He was smirking slightly. Next to him, Claire and Cliff were looking thoroughly confused. I blushed at how handsome Cliff looked. He was wearing a forest green button up shirt that complimented his skin tone and light blue jeans. Claire was wearing a strapless floaty blue dress. She had braided her hair and slipped a bright red flower behind her ear.

"Should we come back later?" Gray asked, he was smirking but I could see a trace of emotion in the back of his eyes.

I laughed and released my dad. With a smile, he waved his hand, indicating me to go.

"Sorry, she's all yours Cliff," Dad said, "Take good care of her."

Cliff nodded, "I will sir."

I ran to the awaiting trio and punched Gray lightly on the shoulder, "Let's go," I exclaimed. Gray rolled his eyes and passed in front with Claire right behind him.

As we descended the stairs of the Inn, Cliff suddenly grabbed my hand. Alarmed, I looked quickly at him, did he almost fall? The only noticeable expression on his face was a slight blush. Confused for a few seconds, I suddenly realized that Cliff was holding my hand because he _wanted_ to. As comprehension settled, I positively beamed and squeezed his hand, trying to get as much emotion as I could in it. Cliff smiled warmly at me.

On the way to the beach, I looked carefully at the two in front of us. While we were talking about her new chickens, Claire had admitted a few days ago that Gray had asked her to the festival. As friends. When she had added that, the disappointment on her face had been so complete that I had almost gone up to the Forge right there and then to knock some sense into my idiotic brother. My cowardly, stubborn, idiotic jerk of a brother. Although right now, they were talking and looked quite comfortable with one another. Perhaps I could try to help them... No! I was not going to formulate any evil plans tonight! I was with Cliff! I had to think about enjoying myself. Evil plans could wait.

The rose Claire had in her hair fell out and Gray snatched it out of the air suddenly before setting it back in it's rightful place. I couldn't help but notice that his hand lingered a bit more than necessary. Okay, so maybe they weren't completely hopeless.

I just giggled at the cuteness, earning myself an understanding wink from Cliff, a blush from Claire and a predictable lethal glare form Gray. Good thing looks couldn't kill and that I was immune to them. I did not want to think about how many times I would have died if I wasn't...

We finally arrived at the beach. Claire on the lookout for any of the 'Chinese Mafia' and Gray trying to calm her down. To my surprise, everyone was already here. Rick and Karen in the middle of the beach, Elli talking with Mary while Trent talked with Lillia and Ellen, who had insisted on coming. Kai and Popuri were...on the roof of the Snack Shack, believe it or not acting all perfect and cute and all. And finally, May and Stu were playing tag and running around in the sand.

I felt a slight tug on my hand and Cliff started leading me to the edge of the beach. Grinning, I started skipping, only to almost land splat on my face had it not been for Cliff grabbing me at the last second. I blushed bright red and chuckled nervously. Damn those annoying high heel shoes... Damn that annoying sand....

Cliff sat down and patted the spot next to him. Embarrassing moment long forgotten, I plopped down next to him and tried to make myself comfortable. A few minutes passed in the uttermost silence between us two. The whole beach became quiet soon after that. The sky gradually turned darker and darker. Suddenly, a hand on my shoulder made me jolt. I turned around to come face to face with an immensely blushing Cliff.

"Ann..."

Confused, I frowned slightly, "Yes Cliff? Is there a problem?"

Cliff opened his mouth for a second before shutting it and looking away, groaning.

Now I was really worried about him, "Are you alright? Do you want to go back to the Inn? Do you want me to get Trent?" I started to get up but the hand on my shoulder forced me to sit back down.

Out of all the things, I did not expect Cliff to suddenly chuckle. His eyes were twinkling and the blush was all but gone.

"Ann...I'm fine," he said, "But... It's... Will you go out with me?"

My eyes went wide as my brain suddenly shut down from overload. _Got out with me._ Go out with _Cliff_. Behis_ girlfriend. _My mouth just fell open from shock and a pressure built up in my chest, making me feel like my heart was about to explode. From lack of any coherent response, I launched myself at Cliff. My Cliff.

"Yes! Yes! A thousand times Yes!" I all but yelled, too happy to notice that everyone heard everything. Too overwhelmed to hear the cheers that rang loudly throughout the whole beach.

Cliff looked at me, his face showing true happiness. One of his hands grabbed my waist, pulling me against him while the other grabbed my chin, pulling our faces closer. My eyes slowly closed as we got even closer and his intoxicating scent filled my mind. When our lips brushed, a huge boom was heard, the fireworks had started. As colors seeped through my closed eyelids, the only thing I could focus on was our joined lips. It was a simple kiss, that lasted no more than a few seconds but it was so full of meaning. So full of love. Bang after bang sounded around us as the fireworks went off. We pulled away and as I took in Cliff's blurred features when I opened my eyes, I realized I was crying.

Well, so much for being super stable and strong Ann, Ann that would never cry. And now suddenly, twice in a day? Those thoughts only fleetingly passed over my mind, I was too concentrated on the feeling of completeness that filled me. Sniffling slightly, I settled my head on Cliff's shoulder while his hand wiped away the tears.

Truly happy, I watched the beautiful show of colors, thanking the Goddess with all my heart.

Normal POV

The last of the fireworks went off with one final boom and the sky lit up with bright colors.

Cheers were heard as the darkness settled around. Claire smiled brightly, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the aftermath of the bright kaleidoscopic show of colors. It had been wonderful. Even more so considering the fact that she had shared this moment with Gray. Okay, just as friends but... maybe that could change.

"That was beautiful," Gray whispered from next to her. Claire nodded.

The two were sitting on the pier even though Claire had refused thoroughly in the beginning. There was no way she was taking the chance of falling back into the sea. Somehow, Gray still managed to convince her. She wasn't disappointed, the way the fireworks reflected on the midnight water had just been too beautiful.

While trying to be discreet, Claire sneaked a glance at Gray who had removed his hat. With a sigh, she suddenly wished he would do it more often, he was much more handsome without it. On secondhand though, Claire felt selfish and wished to be the only one to be privileged enough and see Gray without his hat.

While chatting amiably, Lillia, Ellen, May and Stu left the beach.

Silence fell and after a few minutes, Ann perked up, "Let's go to Mother's Hill!" she was still on this sort of happiness high ever since Cliff asked her out. Claire felt relieved and happy for her friends, they deserved to be with each other.

Claire nodded at Ann's proposition and grabbed a tiny candle from a nearby table. The others followed and the group set out for Mother's Hill. As they climbed up the rocky path, Claire felt her free hand suddenly engulfed in warmth. Surprised she looked up to see Gray walking next to her, their hands connected. In the gloom around them it was hard to see but Claire was sure that the redhead was smiling softly. Claire looked back at the path in front of them, a smile gracing her own lips.

"What are you doing?" Se asked softly, not knowing what kind of answer she would receive.

"Holding your hand." Was the simple answer. Claire didn't reply, her smile only got wider when Gray didn't release her hand.

As they arrived on the grassy mountain top, Pink Cat flowers brushed at their ankles and sent their sweet scent in the air. A few pink petals floated around them and Claire took a couple of the flowers, sticking them in her braid.

Ann decided this would be a nice place to stop and she raised her hand. As they all came to a halt, candles were blown out and everyone lay down in the grass, looking up at the starry sky. Comfortable silence was present and spawned for a few minutes.

Suddenly, a gasp was heard. All around them, little sparks of green were flickering on and off.

Claire's eyes widened, "Fireflies," she whispered.

Other people started whispering happily around her but Claire didn't hear any of it, her eyes solely focused on the hypnotizing little lights. Claire had always adored fireflies.

The blonde got up, laughing, and started twirling, dancing in between the flickering lights with the sweet scent in the air and the fuzzy dreamy feeling in her entire body. It was all like a dream. Pretty soon, the other girls joined and twirled, dancing to the silent music. No thoughts, no noise, just feeling. That night there was peace.

Claire didn't know how long she danced or when the male partners joined them, sending them all in a sort of waltz. Claire didn't even remember how she came back to her house, changed and got ready for bed. No, all her thoughts were way too fuzzy and unclear.

As Claire lay in her bed later that night, a smile was still etched on her face. The warm fuzzy feeling didn't leave her and she drifted into sleep without any trouble.

_Dream Sequence_

_Claire stood on the pier at the beach as snow fell down, covering the world in a white blanket. The sea was a deep blue-gray and the waves were silent. All of it helping with the description that winter was quiet. Claire smiled and turned around, walking to her house._

_The blonde stopped at Rose Plaza for there, in the middle, a little girl was making a snow angel. She was dressed in a thick pink coat. Claire got closer, a smile on her face. The little girl's furry white hat was slightly too big, making her look like a little porcelain doll._

_The little girl opened her lips and spoke to Claire but the blond heard no words. The only thing filling her ears was the thick silence of winter. The little girl continued talking and she made big movements with her arms, describing something._

_Claire laughed and offered a hand to the girl who jumped into her arms. She had big brown eyes, full of mischief and innocence. A pink curl was escaping from her hat and stuck in front of her eyes. Pouting, the little girl tried to blow it out of the way, unsuccessfully._

_Claire laughed again and tucked the pink curl behind the little girl's ear._

_The little girl giggled and snuggled into Claire's arms. She was just a little bundle of warmth and joy and Claire couldn't help but feel happy._

_Snow fell around the two, covering them in that white blanket. The scene slowly dissolved into darkness._

_End Dream Sequence_

Claire woke up, confused. What could the dream possibly mean? It just didn't make any sense. Who was this little girl? And why did Claire feel like she knew her?

And what was even more confusing is that as the days passed, Claire had the same dream. Exactly the same. Every night, it was as if the little girl was waiting for her. And every night, Claire never manged to hear what the little girl was saying.

On the sixth day though, Claire woke up with a start before she could reach the little girl. Someone was knocking desperately at her door. Claire groggily got out of bed and glanced at her clock. 5:23 am. Confused, she slipped on a jacket before slowly heading towards the door. Who could it possibly be?

The knocking on the door became more frantic.

"Claire! Please! Open up!"

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**Oh noes! Another Cliffhanger! But hey! Cliff finally asked Ann out! Yayz! And the chapter was half in Ann's POV. I know, but oh well. The author does what the author does. **

**Guahaha, but I'm evil stopping there xD Can anyone guess who it is knocking at the door? Leave a review if you think you know! Imaginary cookie to anyone who gets it right!**

**I told you this was a sugar-high induced chappie, it's all dreamy and stuff! I blame it on the song Fireflies by Owl City. Which I listen to way too much ^^ …**

**El: Hmpf, it's kind of hard to guess who it is at the door...**

**Me: You're just saying that because you didn't find out who it is yet El.**

**El: Hmpf *turns away***

**Me: Anyway, please review! They make me happy and I might consider updating faster! xD**


	12. You're what?

**Thank you for the reviews! And now we have the answer to the *gasp* Cliffhanger!**

**El: Oh and today we kidnapped Gray so he could do the disclaimer.**

**Gray: What the hell...? Argh, Someoneudontknow5 is a raving lunatic on sugar high that does not own Harvest Moon. El is a sadistic witch who is technically Mathilde's muse and her 'evil side'.**

**Me: *death glare* Anything else you want to say? *grumble* pff, raving lunatic... And what about my sugar? I like sugar!**

**Gray: *grumble* Reviews are loved, Flames will be laughed at.**

**El: Enjoy!**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

Claire opened the door only to have someone fall down in her arms. The unexpected weight sent her to the ground, the sobbing person on top of her. Wait. Sobbing?

Claire looked down at the pink bundle, "Popuri? Popuri?! What's wrong?!"

Popuri didn't respond and only grasped onto Claire's shirt tighter, crying harder. Deciding that her friend wasn't going to answer her questions right away, Claire somehow managed to get them to their feet, an arm wrapped around the smaller girl. The blonde shut the door with a swift kick and led them to her creamy white couch. When they were sitting, Popuri wrapped her arms around Claire and sobbed her heart out.

After a few minutes, the sobs quieted down only to be replaced with a low and even breathing. Popuri had fallen asleep. Claire carefully unwrapped the arms around her neck and set her friend in a more comfortable position. Even is she was confused, Claire decided to let Popuri sleep. Slowly, she made her way to the kitchen, trying not to make any noise, and she made two cups of iced coffee. Although the sun was just starting to rise, the heat was already seeping everywhere, as if to remind everyone of how powerful summer was, even on it's very last day.

Minutes ticked by and Claire decided to go change while her friend slept. Leaving the other mug of iced coffee on the tiny table next to the couch Claire walked to her bedroom, still very worried about Popuri.

When Claire finally came out of her room, dressed, cleaned and way more _awake,_ the first thing she noticed was Popuri who was now up, sipping her coffee. The pink haired girl had dark rings under her eyes and they were puffy and red from crying but at least she seemed calm now.

Claire sat down on the couch, surprising Popuri who had been deep in thought.

"Oh...Hi Claire," Popuri's voice was..._weak_, "I'm sorry for bothering you like that..."

Claire just shook her head, "When a friend is in need, well... You understand right? You would have done the same thing for me. Just tell me what the problem is."

Popuri laughed weakly and sipped her iced coffee, "This tastes really good," she said with a forced smile. Upon seeing Claire's serious gaze, Popuri sighed.

"Fine... Uh..." The pink-haired girl hesitated, "Do you remember the Chicken Festival?"

Claire nodded, "Yup, approximately at the beginning of Summer? You were a great hostess, way better than the mayor could have possibly been."

Popuri smiled a bit more confidently, "You don't know that, you were never there when he was host..."

Claire let a mysterious smile grace her lips. _Oh yes I was. More times than you'd think..._

"Well, anyway, Kai thought the same thing as you," Popuri said softly, blushing, "And...uh that night, we... _celebrated_ it..."

Claire frowned, all senses on alert. _Wow, wow, wow...Slow down..._ Could this conversation be leading to where she was expecting it to?

Popuri looked at her mug with intensity, "I've uh... been feeling weird ever since that time and... uh... Yesterday, I got a test thingy from Zach and uh..." Popuri's eyes were starting to get watery once again.

"Oh Claire! I'm pregnant!" The pink haired girl cried out before breaking into sobs once again. Claire quickly took the mugs away and hugged her friend tightly, rubbing her back soothingly. _Bingo. I was right. And that dream... Could that have been Popuri's daughter I was dreaming about?_

"Shh," Claire tried comforting Popuri, not liking the fact that she was in tears, "It's okay Popuri, it's okay. Kai isn't gone yet, you have time to tell him. As for your family and your friends, we'll support you! We'll help you, there's nothing to worry about!"

"But..." Popuri tried to calm down, "I-I'm just s-so confused! I just... I'm w-worried about how Kai will react! He hates being tied down! And a b-baby... A baby is one of the biggest ties that he could possibly ever have!"

"Popuri, calm down," Claire ordered, "A baby is a beautiful thing, the ultimate jewel that represents the love between two people. Now do you love Kai?" Popuri nodded.

"Does Kai love you?" Popuri hesitated for a second before slowly nodding.

"Is he an idiot?" Popuri shook her head in a vigorous 'no' without a moment's hesitation.

"Then there won't be a problem," Claire concluded, "The two of you will get through this together. Except if... do you want to proceed with abortion?"

Popuri's eyes went wide, "What?! No!! Taking away an innocent life? I could never... It's... It's my baby after all." her hand brushed against her stomach.

Claire smiled, "You're perfectly right. Now, what time does he leave?"

"8am..." Popuri answered and they both glanced at the clock. 6:54 am.

Claire laughed at how early it was while Popuri blushed.

"Sorry for waking you up this early... It... You were just the closest person around that I could talk to," Popuri mumbled, looking more and more like her usual self with every second that passed.

"I would have been up at 6am anyway," Claire laughed, relieved that her friend was feeling better, "Come on, how about you go take a shower at the Inn and then you talk to Kai, 'kay? I know you don't want to face Rick right now."

Popuri hugged her friend, "Thank you Claire. For everything. And for the iced coffee, it was delicious."

Claire laughed again and hugged her back. The two got up and left the house, completely forgetting that they were both in their pajamas and jackets.

When they did realize how they were dressed, they had already arrived at the Inn and it was surprisingly silent. On the counter a small note said 'Busy on a small date, be back in five' Claire laughed and decided that a shower was of the first priority. Both girls crashed in Ann's room, stealing some of her clothes and her shampoo before having their shower, Claire first.

When they were both clean and smelled of strawberry shampoo they went downstairs to order breakfast form Doug. As they ate, Claire noticed with relief that Popuri looked back to her normal self, happiness and hyperactivity. All that fluffy jazz that Claire adored. Until something weird caught her attention.

"Popuri...?" said girl looked at her friend questioningly, "Why are you eating pecan pie with strawberry ice-cream on top? Not to mention the chocolate on top. And the... is that a pickle?!" Claire knew about cravings of course, she just didn't expect it to be this... weird.

Popuri giggled and continued eating, "I just felt like it suddenly!"

Claire shrugged and let it pass. When they finished, it was around 7:40am.

"Well," Claire announced, folding her napkin, "I think it's time we go tell your boyfriend the news."

Popuri tensed slightly in fear but nodded with confidence anyway and the two paid their breakfast before climbing the stairs towards Kai's room.

Claire paused, "Hey Pop? You want me to come with you or would you rather I stay out here?"

Said pink-haired girl shook her head quickly, grasping Claire's arm tightly, "I need you with me," she whispered. Claire nodded and Popuri stepped up to the door.

Popuri peeked inside after knocking, "Kai? Are you here?"

A smiling tanned face appeared in the doorway, "Popuri darling! Oh and blondy! Come in! Come on!"

Smiling, they entered and sat on a bed. On Kai's bed, a suitcase was ready to go.

Kai smiled, "I just finished packing as you can see ladies! Are you here to tell me you'll accompany me to the beach when the time comes?"

Popuri shook her head, "Actually Kai, I have something serious to tell you. Could you sit down?"

"Anything for you baby!" Kai said, his sunny smile never leaving his face, "So what is it? Rick eloped with a chicken and Karen is trying to kill him?"

Claire and Popuri laughed, joined immediately by Kai but Popuri soon recovered her serious expression.

"No, this is really serious Kai..." She started, Claire smiled encouragingly, "I-I'm... I'm pregnant."

The smile on Kai's face disappeared, his eyes widening, "P-pregnant?" was the only word he managed to croak out.

Popuri nodded. Kai's facial expression went through a quick succession of surprise, disbelief, realization and finally, pure terror. He stood up suddenly, almost falling down in the process.

Popuri frowned, "Kai? Honey?"

Kai's eyes were enormous as the situation crashed on him, "You... Me... I... We..."

Popuri sighed, "Yes Kai. I'm pregnant, it was that time after the Chicken Festival. We're going to have a baby." Claire smiled encouragingly once again, proud of how well Popuri was handling the situation.

Kai's eyes became even wider if that was possible. His face was pale and sweat started pearling on his forehead, "I... I-I... No, no, no, no, no...." With a sudden burst of energy, Kai grabbed his suitcase and ran out of the room. The door was left swinging on it's hinges, the tanned man gone. Claire had her hand in front of her mouth stifling a gasp when Kai had run out. Extremely worried, she looked at Popuri who was deathly still, all color drained from her face. The only proof Claire had that her friend was alive was her heavy breaths and the tears that started to roll down the porcelain cheeks.

"Oh Goddess, Popuri..." Claire had absolutely no idea what to say, "Oh Goddess, I'm so sorry..."

As the tears started to flow faster, Popuri raised her hands to cover her face and she started to sob, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Claire quickly wrapped the pink-haired in a hug. At that moment, Ann, Cliff and Gray entered, laughing. When they took in the scene, silence fell and Ann immediately rushed over to Popuri, wrapping her in a hug of her own.

"What's going on?!" She asked, frightened.

Claire sighed and quickly resumed the situation while Popuri cried even harder, obviously very hurt. When Claire was done, Cliff had his hand over his mouth, looking absolutely shocked while the two redheaded siblings were positively _fuming_. An angry flush was taking over their features and their blue eyes glowed with a lethal fire. They exchanged glances and stormed out the door, which pretty soon turned into running, judging by the sounds of their footsteps. Claire could only guess too well what they were going to try and do. She only hoped that for Popuri's sake Gray and Ann would succeed.

Popuri slowly calmed down and turned to Cliff, "W-would... you p-please get R-Rick f-for me?" was all she managed to choke out before sobbing quietly again. Cliff nodded and ran out the door, going so quickly it looked like he was trying to set a world record.

As soon as he heard his sister was in trouble, Rick ran faster than a flash and arrived at the Inn in record time. He took over and wrapped his younger sister in his arms, rocking her back and forth. He rubbed her back and whispered soothing words in her ears while Claire and Cliff watched with sadness, hoping the other set of siblings would succeed in changing Kai's mind. And even if Rick was a bit much sometimes, Claire had to admit that she was extremely thankful he was here.

At the beach

Ann and Gray arrived at the beach, slightly out of breath. They spotted Kai immediately, he was walking towards the pier... and the boat.

Gray's eyes narrowed, "Hey!!" he yelled and the siblings took off running again, catching up to Kai in no time. The tanned young man looked back at them, his eyes not seeing them. He was far away on La-La land right now.

Ann grabbed Kai's shirt, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she half-yelled dangerously, her voice starting to approach hysteria.

Kai merely shrugged Ann's hands off and turned around, starting to walk once again to the boat. Gray felt a wave of fury climb through him at his friend's behavior. A sudden burst of adrenaline made him yank Kai back and punch him. Hard. Kai grabbed his cheek, looking stunned.

Gray growled, "Did that wake you up? Good! Now you're going to listen to us! There's a pregnant woman here that needs you and you think you're just going to waltz away and live your happy life, leaving her alone like that?"

Ann took over, her voice just as ferocious, "Yeah! It's your baby as much as it's hers! Popuri needs you! It's your responsibility as well! Running away will not help anyone! Now get your butt back to the Inn before we kick it there!"

Kai stared at them for a second, indecision plain on his face. The silence stayed thick with tension for a minute, the two siblings glaring threateningly at the tanned young man. Suddenly the boat honked it's horn as a warning. It was going to leave. Kai's eyes suddenly widened and before Gray or Ann could react, he was gone, disappearing through the ship's door in the blink of an eye.

"Hey!!" Ann's voice was really starting to become hysteric, "What do you think you're doing?! Get back here! Don't just leave!! Come back!!!"

"It's okay Ann. He won't change his mind anyway," a soft voice said behind them, the siblings turned around suddenly, surprised to see Popuri and Rick, "I thank you for what you did Ann, Gray."

Even if Popuri spoke with confidence in her voice, her lip was trembling and her eyes were watery, Rick sensed this and pulled his sister closer.

"Don't worry," Claire said from behind where she stood with Cliff, "You have us. We'll help you get through it."

Popuri managed to smile slightly and nodded, "Thank you everyone. I'm going to go home and tell my mom."

Everyone nodded.

"I have to go to work..." Gray sighed.

"I have to take care of my farm," Claire added.

"I..." Cliff hesitated, "I'll just go wherever Ann is going..."

Ann blushed slightly but turned to Popuri, "Would you like us to get Elli and Trent so they can check up on you?" Popuri nodded and the group separated.

As she left, Popuri stole one last glance at the shimmering figure of the faraway boat, "Goodbye Kai..." she whispered before leaning in her brother's arms, wanting nothing more than to go home. Her hand was on her stomach, stroking it slightly.

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**Le Gaspeth! Popuri is pregnant! Didn't expect that did ya?**

**Kai you...! That you...! How dare he!!! ...Should he come back? Leave a review and tell me your opinion!**

**Oh by the way, since this is in seasons, I guess a season lasts four months. So that would make Popuri approximately 2 months pregnant? *avoids thrown objects* Yeah, yeah I know you're all wondering why Popuri didn't notice it sooner? Well that's because she's Popuri!**

**Who should I kidnap and force to do the disclaimer next time? Leave a review to let me know!**

**El: So Gray, when do you think you and Claire will get together? Why won't you be a man and ask her out?**

**Gray: *blush* *looks away***

**El: Coward.**

**Me: Exactly. **

**Gray: *Sigh* Just... Argh, please review this story and end my torture...**


	13. Chickens, couples and oreos

**Welcome to the 13th chapter of Déjà Vu! Thank you for all the reviews! School started again which means I couldn't really write... Grrr... Oh, say thanks to Sarah for motivating me to finish this chapter. ^^ And yay for the supposedly funny filler chapter!**

**El: Today we kidnapped Kai for the disclaimer!**

**Kai: Yo.**

**El: Kai you must realize that a lot of readers out there hate you right now... Why'd you leave poor Popuri?!**

**Kai: Err..... Oh look! A pink gooey flying thing!**

**El & Me : Where?!**

**Kai: *runs away***

**Me: …Coward. Pffff Since he's gone, will you do the disclaimer El?**

**El: Someoneudontknow5 does not own Harvest Moon or any of it's characters.**

**Me: You know, I think this is the first time we do the disclaimer correctly ^^'**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

Claire sighed as the cool autumn breeze blew on her face, cooling her down. She was almost finished with her day of watering her plants, cutting the grown grass, running around town to talk to everyone and mostly check up on Popuri and running around in the forest trying to find some mushrooms to ship. Of course, Claire had no cows yet (although she was thinking about getting one in a couple of days) but she had deemed it smart in the middle of Spring to plant Grass seeds and therefor have enough fodder to last her through the winter without having to buy some when she couldn't grown any.

Deciding to check up on her chickens before heading to the Inn for a well deserved shower, Claire walked up to the chicken coop. She opened the door and looked inside, a smile on her face. Which immediately drained when she came face to face with...nothing. The chicken coop was empty.

"AH!!" Claire shrieked, "HELP!! Chicken thief!! Somebody kidnapped Pecky and Plucky!!(1)"

"Ah shut up, nobody kidnapped those things," a bored voice stated loudly, "They're over here, pecking away with joy."

Claire turned around and noticed Gray leaning against her mailbox. (Again?) The blacksmith in training was smirking at her and truthfully enough, there were the two chickens, pecking something on the ground. Smiling in relief while feeling kind of stupid, Claire ran over to the redhead and picked up the first chicken she saw, which happened to be Pecky.

"Hey you there," she cooed, hugging the animal, "Sorry about forgetting I put you outside for the day!"

Gray looked at her weirdly, "...You talk to your animals?"

"Yeah! Of course I do!" Claire exclaimed, "Don't you talk to animals? That cat at the Inn for example?"

Gray sent the blonde a glare where _'Ya think?'_ could easily be read.

Claire pouted for two seconds before suddenly bringing Pecky in front of Gray's nose who let a little 'Ack' of surprise escape him.

"Well, I think you two need to be introduced!" she explained, "Pecky, this is my one of my best friends, Gray! Gray, this is Pecky, my first chicken! I'm going to train her into an evil sadistic chicken that will beat the crap out of other chickens! That way I'll always win the Chicken Festival!"

Gray peeked at her from the other side of the chicken, "What. The. Hell. You're going to train this chicken into an... evil sadistic chicken just so you can win the Festival?"

Claire shrugged, "There are other reasons," she said with an evil smile, "Oh and it's not_ 'going to train'_ the training started ever since I got her, which would be ever since the end of Spring I think."

Gray's eyes widened slightly and he took a step back from the evil chicken. Claire's smile got wider.

"You want to know why else I train her?" she asked. Gray slowly nodded, unsure if what he was doing was a good idea.

Claire's smile turned into one of pure evil as she took out a crunchy food...thing from her pocket and dangled it in front of the Pecky's black little eyes. When she was sure the chicken had gotten a good look at the treat, Claire threw it on top of Gray's hat.

"Fetch Pecky!" she yelled. Beady little eyes narrowed menacingly and the chicken attacked.

Pecky pounced on Gray and began scratching her way up, totally unfazed by the cries of protest and the swinging around Gray did while trying to protect himself from the evil chicken scratching of doom. It only made Pecky more determined, if possible. Claire just watched and laughed her head off. Gray was swinging his arms around like a madman and was running around in circles while Pecky balanced on top of his head, trying to get her snack. When she did, she simply hoped off calmly and walked away as if nothing had ever happened.

One look at Gray's face sent Claire doubling over with laughter. The redhead was standing there, scratched up on the hands and face and with an expression of utter confusion that Claire almost fell to the ground from laughing so hard.

Gray grumbled, "You had to do that did you?" he readjusted his hat and regained his composure, scowling.

Claire nodded, still giggling quietly.

"Cluck! Cluck Cluck! Cluuuuuck! Cluuck Cluck Cluuuuck Cluck!" At the sudden, weird clucking noises, Gray looked down to see the other chicken passing by his feet in a stealthy ninja-way. Gray frowned as the chicken hid behind his legs, peeking and looking carefully before continuing on his way. The chicken's way of moving and clucking reminded the redhead of when Kronk had the unconscious llama-emperor in a bag in the city and was acting like a ninja. (In the movie Kuzco (2))

Stealthily, mysteriously and 'cluck cluuuck clucking' all the way, Plucky slid out of sight. Gray looked up at Claire, ridiculously confused. The blonde just giggled and shrugged. Gray rolled his eyes.

"You just love laughing at me don't you know?" he grumbled.

Claire shook her head enthusiastically.

"This reminds me of something... If you fall, a good friend will help you up," Gray said, a smirk dawning on his face, "But a best friend will laugh and then trip you just for the sake of watching you fall again and getting another good laugh."

Claire laughed as Gray chuckled, "It's so true!"

"Anyway, what do you want?" Claire asked, "It's not usual for you to grace me with your presence after you just got out of work. You're normally in a foul mood and go to the Inn or the Library directly, avoiding human contact as much as possible until the night when you've finally managed to cool down."

Gray rolled his eyes at the accurate description, "Actually, I'm not in a 'foul' mood today."

"What? You and your grandfather didn't fight today? Oh Goddess!" Claire cried out over-dramatically, the effect broken by the smile on her face, "I can see only one explanation! The apocalypse is coming!"

Gray shoved Claire playfully, "Anyway, you coming to the Inn?"

"How... How do you always guess when I want to go to the Inn?!" Claire asked, slightly creeped out.

"Claire you think out loud sometimes," Gray explained, looking at her as if she was a moron, "And when Kronk-chicken passed, you were muttering something about a nice shower at the Inn and a good snack."

Claire blushed and looked around for a distraction, anything to take the attention off her. Anything at all would do.

"Oh look!" she said with forced enthusiasm, "The grass is green!"

Gray stared at her for a second or two, "Er... Okay? But... uh, newsflash Claire, grass is almost always green."

Claire blushed even more and grabbed Gray's arm, "Let's just go to the Inn okay?" she said. _'Nice going. Great distraction Claire.'_ Devil Claire whispered from the back of her mind.

"Grr, shut up," the blonde groaned, surprising the redhead she was dragging along.

"Excuse me?"

"Ah! Sorry! Not you!" Claire exclaimed.

"Then who? There's no one else in this street," Gray said, worried about Claire, maybe she had caught the flu or something, "You okay there Claire?"

"It's nothing!" said blonde assured, "I was just thinking!"

"If you say so..." Gray reluctantly let go of the subject.

_I hate you. _Claire thought/whispered to Devil Claire.

When they arrived at the Inn, Gray and Claire weren't surprised to see Popuri eating some sort of weird dish with too many ingredients. Claire waved at her pink-haired and sat down next to her while Gray waved and proceeded to sit down next to Cliff at the counter.

"So how's it going Pop?" Claire asked.

"Claire!" Popuri laughed, "You saw me this morning! But I'm still fine, thanks for your concern."

"How about the baby?" Claire pushed onward.

"I don't know much really, he's not that old..." Popuri said, eating some more of what appeared to be pizza with... Oreos on top, "But I have a feeling he's fine, not to mention hungry!"

Claire laughed. Popuri had accepted the fact that Kai had left rather quickly, after all she had said that since he left anyway every year, this didn't change much.

"So uh... Oreo pizzas?" Claire asked.

"It's good as a matter of fact!" Popuri said with a small pout, she then burst out laughing, "Albeit rather weird I will admit."

"So when are you going to do the first ultrasound thing?" Claire asked with interest.

"Tonight, in approximately 45 minutes!" Popuri said, her eyes shining with excitement, "You want to come? Elli will be there of course but Ann, Rick and mom are also coming."

Claire, "Wouldn't we be a little crowded? Oh well! I don't care! I'm coming, no doubt about it! But first, my shower!" and with those words, Claire left and ran upstairs.

When she got to the shower room, she noticed she had forgotten to bring her shampoo, _again_. Groaning, she decided to steal some from Ann, again. So without further thought, she ran into Ann's room and landed on the waitress making out with her boyfriend.

"ACK!" Claire screamed, covering her face, "Bad images! Bad images! Cute but very unnecessary images in my brain!!"

When the blonde had entered, Cliff and Ann had immediately jumped away from one another and were now blushing furiously. Claire peeked through her fingers and when she deemed the scene appropriate, she took away her hands.

"Honestly guys, you need to slow it down..." Claire said teasingly to the blushing couple, "We do not need another baby crisis on our hands!"

"CLAIRE!!" both Cliff and Ann yelled, embarrassed.

"Sorry, sorry," Claire apologized, chuckling, "But... Cliff weren't you downstairs like... two seconds ago? I saw you talking to Gray while I was talking to Popuri..."

"He's started debating something with Doug so... I left..." Cliff explained.

"Anyway Claire, what do you want?" Ann didn't really look too happy about being interrupted.

"Just to tell you that we're leaving in 40 minutes for the Clinic," Claire explained before swiping a plastic bottle off of Ann's dresser, "Oh and I came to steal some of your shampoo."

Without further ado, Claire left quickly but not before a loud thunk was heard. Ann had thrown the closest thing next to her at the blonde's head. Which happened to be a slipper. Chuckling and rubbing her head, Claire headed towards the shower room.

40 minutes later, the Clinic

Everyone looked anxiously at the little black screen, searching for movement. As Elli fiddled with a few buttons, the image became clearer and pretty soon, a small humanoid shape could be seen. Ann and Claire squealed as the machine picked up a tiny heartbeat, the little drumming noise sounding quite clearly.

Lillia squeezed her daughter's hand shakily, tears prickling at her eyes.

Elli smiled, "Well Popuri, all I can say is that your baby is perfectly healthy, congratulations!"

Popuri smiled brightly and stared intently at the screen, transfixed by the tiny figure; the fingers, the nose, the feet...

"My little baby..." she whispered before Lillia hugged her tightly. Ann giggled and joined the hug along with Elli and Claire. Rick sighed and reluctantly joined. Popuri closed her eyes and smiled harder.

The little heartbeat that could be heard sped up slightly at the feeling of so many people around. Or was it because of the warm serenity her mother was herself feeling?

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**(1) You gotta love the awesomness of the names... -sarcasm-**

**(2) Love the movie Kuzco. Hilarious XD**

**Tadaa! End of the 13th chapter! -gasp-**

**El: *pant pant* I caught Kai! *is holding Kai tightly by his collar***

**Me: Yay! He can answer our questions! Kai! Answer! Why did you leave??!**

**Kai: …**

**Me: …You knocked him out didn't you El?**

**El: Oops? Oh well... Doesn't matter! Who should we kidnap next? Rick or Ann?**

**Me: Please leave reviews! They make me super super happy! Hope you enjoyed!**


	14. So odd it should be a dream

**I'm alive! I'm really sorry I didn't update in so long! I was in the middle of some really important exams so for about three weeks or more, I almost didn't go on the computer at all! Although I did see all the reviews, they made me really happy! So thank you everyone! I love you all!**

**El: ...A month. You ignored me for a month.**

**Me: Oops? I'm...sorry? Anyway, hope you like this chapter! (No I do not own Harvest Moon! Just the plot!)**

**Enjoy and review chapter 14!**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

Claire hummed quietly as she washed the windows of her brand-new upgraded house. The smell of freshly cut wood filled the air and the autumn sunlight made everything look golden. Well at least that's what Claire thought. Others might have said that it smelled weird and that the light was strangely... yellow. But hey, everyone has their own opinion and Claire happened to love Fall. Not to mention there was one of her favorite festivals during this season. The Moon viewing festival.

Claire stopped the circular movement of her hand, her eyebrows knit in confusion. When was it again? Stuffing the rag she had been using in her back pocket, the blonde stood up and crossed her living room to inspect her calendar. As she tried to remember where she put the calendar in the very big living room, Angel and Devil Claire 'poof'-ed on her shoulders.

_'So, wanna bet that the Moon festival is today?'_ Devil Claire asked, inspecting her fingernails.

Angel Claire nodded, _'Knowing Claire, I mean me... I mean us, I mean ...ah whatever. Knowing Claire, it _is_ today.' _

Claire growled and tried to ignore the two beings. Which proved to be quite hard by the way, I mean, how do you ignore your own mind? So Claire used the only solution she could find, sing at the top of your voice to drown out all the other noises until you spot a distraction. Which came in the form of a calendar.

_'Oof!!'_

As Claire suddenly jumped over her couch to reach her calendar, Devil Claire fell off her shoulder and landed with a thud on the ground. Embarrassed, she quickly 'poof'-ed away, immediately followed by a giggling Angel Claire.

"Hm..." Claire scanned the milky page of the calendar, "Moon Festival... Moon Festival... That's today!!"

_'Knew it.'_

Claire barely heard the smug voices in the back of her head, she was currently running across her room, trying to find something to change into. Not to mention she had to run to the Inn to take a shower and then come back to get her makeup on!

Grabbing her shampoo from her brand new bathroom, Claire ran out her door only to stop immediately. Her brand new _bathroom_. Boy was she an airhead. The blonde groaned and ran back inside, hopping into the shower.

30 minutes and a lot of panicking later, Claire stood ready in the middle of her living room. Her cheeks were still slightly pink from all the running around but all in all, she was ready. Dressed in a tight shirt with black and white stripes and a red tulle skirt, the blonde wrapped her black jacket tightly around her shoulders.

A sudden knock on her door made Claire jolt and she ran up to the door. When she opened it, her gaze landed on a hesitant Gray. The redhead avoided her gaze and chose to stare intently at the sky.

"Oh! Hey Gray!" the blonde smiled brightly, wondering why the blacksmith in training was acting like a plastic glove filled with ice had been slipped in his shirt.

"..." Gray opened his mouth only to close it again. He hadn't even looked at her, his burning gaze trying to make holes in the sky.

Claire huffed, "Yes?"

"?" Gray spluttered out, speaking so quickly it looked like he was trying to break a world record.

Claire smiled blankly, blinking, "Uh...What?"

"I said..." Gray took a deep breath and looked at Claire, their gazes meeting, "Would you like to go to the Moon viewing Festival? With...me."

Claire just stared at the young man before bursting with laughter. Surprised, Gray took a step back, looking at the blonde warily.

"What's so funny?" he snapped.

Claire giggled and tried breathing evenly, "For the Fireworks festival, you asked me three _weeks_ before... Now you ask me three _minutes_ before it starts!"

Gray tried to keep a scowl on his face as he looked away but Claire could have sworn she saw it morph into a smirk.

"Okay, I..." Gray hesitated, "Whatever! Are you coming with me, yes or no?!"

Claire rolled her eyes, "Yes I'm coming with you sir. At give me enough time to put my shoes on!" and she slammed the door in his face.

Gray's eye twitched as he realized that the door had been a hair width away from knocking into him. What was it with people and trying to get him beat up by a door? Wit a sigh, the redhead kicked at a stone, at least Claire had accepted. Gray had to admit he had been quite stressed out while he was walking to the farm.

Wait. Stressed out? Since when was Gray stressed out over asking someone to go to a festival with him? Heck, since when did he even ask people to a festival? And not just any festival, the Moon viewing one! Gray frowned, if it continued, he would end up dressed in a pink bunny outfit and handing out chocolate to everyone.

With a sigh, Gray turned away and looked up at the sky. All these weird little beginning of emotions were confusing. It would probably be better if he ignored them. After all, the young farmer was simply his friend. Nothing could happen between them. Right?

Inside her house and completely oblivious to the emotional turmoil Gray was going through, Claire was digging around her closet for her second shoe. The blonde was currently extracting a rubber duck from the murky depth of the closet, she had thought him to be kidnapped.

_So that's where Ms. Fluffykins was..._ Claire couldn't help but think with a relieved sigh. After all, taking a shower or bath without Ms. Fluffykins was just... uncomfortable. As she continued digging through her tiny shoe closet, Claire couldn't help but gasp at all the stuff she found in it. Who would have ever though that's where her bag of flour went? And her sunglasses? And...

_'Get a grip on yourself will you?!' _Both Angel and Devil Claire snapped from the back of her head. Claire crashed back down to reality with a 'eep!' and stopped gaping at her discoveries before concentrating once again on finding her second shoe.

A few minutes later, with both shoes, a scarf and a light coat on, Claire stepped out of her house.

"I'm sorry I kept you wai-what?" Gray was nowhere to be seen.

"Gray?" Claire raised her voice slightly, looking around, "Where are you?"

Frowning, she walked randomly around her house. No redhead. Ignoring the tiny twinge of worry rapidly growing at the back of her head, Claire walked towards the chicken coop.

"Gray?!" she tried again, "Gray come on!"

"Yeah?"

Claire let out a yell of surprise as Gray's voice sounded from immediately above her. Looking up, she saw the redhead comfortably perched in her apple tree, eating one of the ripe crimson fruit.

"You idiot!" Claire cried, "You almost gave me a heart attack! Why didn't you answer when I called you?!"

Gray waved the apple slightly, "My mouth was full. And it's fun watching you freak out."

Claire growled, jumping up, trying to reach the laughing young man. Alas, she was far too short and was far from the first branch. Ticked off as Gray kept laughing, Claire grabbed the first thing she saw and chucked it at the redhead.

Let's say Gray was quite surprised when he was knocked off the tree by a heavy bag full of chicken feed.

As the blacksmith in training landed with a pained 'Ow...', it was Claire's turn to laugh. From his position on the ground, Gray sent a death glare at the gloating blonde. After a few seconds, Claire was finally satisfied with her revenge and helped Gray up.

Dusting himself, Gray scowled, "You didn't need to do that. I even picked you an apple!" With those words, he pulled another red fruit similar to the one he was holding from his pocket. Claire raised an eyebrow but accepted the apple.

Silently, the duo walked towards the mountain path, finishing their apples. Both of them were deep in thought, matching frowns adorning their faces. As Claire threw her apple core in the woods, she glanced at Gray, hesitating.

"Hey Gray?" she asked, "What are we?"

Gray stared at the small farmer, tempted to answer 'humans'. But since the same question was going over in his mind, the redhead shrugged. Were they friends? Or...Was there something more?

"I have absolutely no idea," he admitted, "What do you think?"

Claire looked away, trying to think of an answer. After a couple more minutes, she looked back to the awaiting young man. Both of them continued walking in silence for a few more instants.

"I think..."

"Claire!" Gray and Claire cringed as Ann's loud voice rang out through the air. Neither of them had noticed they had arrived at their destination. Claire realized they were standing in the middle of the little clearing on top of Mother's Hill.

A few meters away from them, Ann was waving energetically while holding Cliff's hand. The latter gave a little half-wave. Trent and Elli were sitting a little further away, deep in conversation. Elli's eyes twinkled as she looked at Claire while Trent gave a curt little nod. Rick and Karen were politely nodding from farther away. And finally, huddling together, Mary and Popuri were waving. Mary had apparently been explaining the plot of a book she was holding.

Snapping out of her trance, Claire waved back and proceeded to tug on Gray's sleeve so they could sit down as well. With a shiver, she realized the grass was slightly damp and immediately jumped back to her feet. Annoyed she glared at the dark green strands.

Gray cocked an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

"The grass is wet," Claire pouted.

Gray rolled his eyes and slipped out of his jacket before setting it on the ground.

"There," he proclaimed, "Happy?"

Claire hesitated, "But...your jacket..."

Gray sighed and sat down, "It's my work jacket. Another smudge of dirt won't change anything. Anyway, it's Ann's turn to do the laundry this week. So..."

Claire laughed and sat down just as a twig flew through the air and hit Gray on the head.

"I heard that!" Ann said indignantly.

Grumbling, Gray looked up determinedly at the sky as if willing for the moon, who was currently hiding behind a cloud, to appear. Claire smiled and huddled closer to the redhead, appreciating the additional warmth. Gray didn't say anything and tried, in vain, to ignore the fuzzy feeling in his chest.

As the moon finally showed, everyone gasped in awe. Perfectly round and shining brightly in contrast with the deep black sky, it was an awe-striking sight. The light was so intense it was almost as bright as day. Nobody noticed how much time passed, only the shining moon was really present.

Minutes flew by, the outside world disappeared.

"Popuri!" A sudden familiar voice rang out in the darkness.

The pink-haired girl's head snapped back, eyes wide, just like everyone else. Could it have been?

"Popuri!" The voice rang out again, achingly familiar.

"Kai?" Popuri's voice was soft, the white light making her look like a porcelain doll.

There, in the darkness, a figure was running towards them. It quickly became obvious that the figure was Kai. The silence on top of the mountain became tense, full of apprehension.

The two were facing each other now. Popuri, looking fragile and ready to be broken, Kai as if he would never be able to think and breathe properly ever again.

Kai grabbed Popuri's hands, looking desperate, "I'm sorry."

Popuri's eyes narrowed and she shook her head as if she was trying to wake up from a dream.

"You're sorry?"

Kai nodded eagerly, his eyes wide, "I was a selfish idiotic jerk! I... I knew I made a bad decision the moment the boat left but... I panicked. I really really panicked. And I'm sorry."

Popuri took a step back before raising her hand slowly, and then...

_Slap!_

Kai winced at the harsh blow but didn't budge.

Popuri looked at the tanned young man evenly, surprisingly calm.

"That was for leaving me and our baby."

"I did deserved that..." Kai mumbled, looking down.

"And this..." Popuri continued, wrapping her arms around Kai's neck with a smile, "This is for coming back."

Standing on the tip of her toes, the pink-haired girl kissed her boyfriend briefly. A chorus of 'Aww's were heard but the couple paid no attention to them. As Popuri let go of Kai, everyone could see the wide smile gracing both of their lips.

Ann pranced up to them, smiling wickedly, "Kai!"

"Hey Ann..." Kai stated tiredly.

"I wanted to ask you something..." the waitress said innocently.

Kai shrugged, "Go ahead."

"You know how Gray punched you? And Popuri just slapped you?" Ann asked, "Well, I was wondering, can I beat you up?"

"What? No! Why?!"

Ann pouted and walked away, mumbling, "Nothing..never mind... no reason at all..."

Pausing, she turned around and glanced at Kai wickedly. The young man felt a shiver going down his spine, what was it about Ann that gave her the ability to make you incredibly scared?

"I won't beat you up, since you didn't want to. But... I'm not so sure about Rick..."

And with those words of doom, Ann pranced away and launched herself at Cliff. Kai was frozen in place while Popuri looked at him, smiling. Kai had honestly not given a thought about Popuri's over protective brother, which had been a bad, bad idea.

"...Rick?" Kai repeated.

"Right here," A dangerous voice spoke from behind the young couple.

Freaked out of his wits, Kai gave a hoarse yell and stumbled back. Laughter flew up on the mountaintop. Rick was standing there, using one of the most filthiest glares Claire had ever seen.

"H-hey Rick!" Kai tried to ignore the murderous aura oozing off of the blond boy as he greeted him, "What's up?"

Rick's glare intensified, "You know Kai... I'm honestly surprised. I didn't expect you to come crawling back here..." the tone was so icy, it surprised Claire. She didn't know Rick could be that scary.

Kai looked down at his shoes, "Sorry."

"...But I'm glad,"

"What?" Kai looked at the smiling blond, completely taken off guard.

"Don't make me repeat that," Rick said, rolling his eyes, "You heard me."

"Yeah, sorry," Kai scratched at the back of his head. Claire almost sweat-dropped, what was it with everyone and acting out of character that night?

"That's all I have to say... For now anyway," Rick stated, turning around, "...Oh yeah. Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep my sister happy. ...Or else. If you leave, this time, I'll hunt you down and make you drown in chicken feed," Rick stated, his face still covered with a warm happy smile.

Kai's eyes widened, "No problem!"

Rick nodded and walked away, leading a drunk Karen on the path to go back to the village.

_Wait a second_, Claire though, _why is Karen drunk?_ _More importantly, how?! Ah, whatever._

Popuri hadn't said a word through the whole conversation, just wrapped her arms tightly around Kai, as if to stop him from leaving.

Kai noticed this and rubbed the pink-haired girl's back, "It's okay Pop', I'm staying for good this time."

Popuri didn't answer, she only buried her head deeper in Kai's shoulder.

_Flash._

A sudden bright light made everyone jolt. Claire blinked, trying to will the white spots away from her vision.

"What the heck was that?!" the blonde snapped.

Gray growled, "Ann! I thought I told you to get rid of that damn camera!"

A giggle was heard from the bushes and a dark figure jumped out, running away.

Gray sighed and grabbed Claire's hand, pulling her up. Without a word, the redhead picked up his coat and wrapped it around his waist before walking away. Claire stood still for a second, confused, before running to catch up with Gray.

"Where are we going?" she asked, annoyed that he hadn't spoken a word.

Gray glanced at her for a second before looking back at the path they were walking on.

"Away from here," he whispered, "Kai and Popuri need to be alone for a while"

Claire's mouth opened slightly, "Oh! Right! That's so thoughtful of you Gray!"

Gray growled and looked away.

As the two walked, Claire smirked happily. So Gray wasn't that much of an insensitive jerk... Well, she knew that already. It was just fun seeing his little slip-ups and watch him act all sweet.

Far too soon for Claire's taste, they had arrived at her new and improved house. As she unlocked her door, Gray stood awkwardly next to her, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Well..." Claire hesitated as her door opened, "I guess... I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Gray breathed out.

In silence they stood still, not knowing why, or when or how. Claire just knew she didn't want the blacksmith in training to leave.

"Claire?"

Said blonde turned around quickly at the call of her name, her heart beating faster, "Yes?"

Blue met blue as their gazes clashed. Silence fell on them again as Gray didn't answer.

"I..." The redhead sighed, "Never mind, I'll see you tomorrow."

Claire looked down at her feet, "Alright. Good night Gray."

"Good night Claire."

The door closed.

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**The fluff!! It burns! There's so much of it! I hope it's not too crappy...**

**I'm sorry everyone if you didn't want Kai to come back! I couldn't leave Popuri alone and miserable!**

**Oh and Gray is still a coward.**

**El: Pf, he's a big chicken. ...Scratch that, Pecky is way more courageous than him.**

**Gray: Hey! I'm better than that chicken!**

**El: Then how come he get's lots of hugs from Claire and yet you receive none?**

**Gray: … *twitch***

**Me: *watches Gray stalk away* I think we're going to eat roasted chicken tonight... Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	15. Happy birthday! Or not déjà vu?

**Hey! I've been gone for what... more than a week?**

**Thank you for all the reviews! -Squeal- All the encouragements and compliments, I finished blushing this morning! Thank you so much! All of you!**

**El: Yeah, we don't own Harvest, Moon or the characters.**

**Me: Lol**

**El: What did I say?**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

Somewhere in a shabby looking house, a young looking woman peered closely into her crystal ball, brushing away strands of blond hair. Her eyebrows were knitted together, the only sign of her intense concentration. She had sharp features and cruel eyes, her elegant fingers circling around the crystal ball in a hypnotizing motion.

Seemingly unsatisfied with what she saw, the young woman sighed and leaned back in her chair. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and murmured things under her breath. Most of it was nonsensical garble but one phrase stood out.

"Almost time. Almost time..."

**Claire's Farm, 24th of Fall**

Claire laughed as Origami ran in circles around her, a ball in his mouth. Ever since the little puppy had finally grown into a dog, the only thing he thought about was playing fetch.

Staring up at his mistress with enormous twinkling eyes, Ori whimpered slightly, implying his want to play. Claire smiled and shook her head 'no', even if her heart wanted to say 'yes', shaken by the enormous cuteness. They had played for about an hour or two and the dog was still not tired!

Ori's whimpers got louder and Claire finally caved in, taking the ball from the dog's mouth with a sigh.

"Fine," she said firmly, "But this is the absolute last, last, _last_ time okay? I won't cave again!"

Origami just 'woof'-ed happily and ran in circles. Claire sighed and threw the ball as far as she could, watching in amusement as the dog became a flash of brown, sprinting as fast as he could. A couple seconds later, he was back at the blonde's feet.

Staring up at his mistress with enormous twinkling eyes, Ori whimpered slightly, implying his want to play. Claire smiled and shook her head 'no', even if her heart wanted to say 'yes', shaken by the enormous cuteness. They had played for about an hour or two and the dog was still not tired!

As she was about to take the ball from Origami, an enormous sense of déjà-vu shook her out of her little trance. Suddenly realizing the possibility that this was the hundredth time this happened. How long had this lasted?! How long had the little puppy kept her playing with him, bound by the power of puppy-eyes?!

Claire narrowed her eyes and crouched down to Ori's level, "You're one sneaky little dog..."

Origami licked her face merrily.

Claire, not fazed in the least, grabbed the ball from the dog's mouth and shoved it in her backpack. With a determined look on her face, she marched back towards her house, Ori trailing sadly behind. But since Origami was a pretty optimistic dog (how that is possible, I shall never know) he started running around and barking happily quickly.

Claire rolled her eyes and entered her house, only to have a heart attack as loud yells erupted from everywhere. She was so surprised in fact that she fell down with a loud thud.

Eyes wide, the blonde looked at her full house, "What... What the heck?!" Glancing around her living room, she recognized her friends. Ann, Cliff, Gray, Trent, Popuri, Elli, Kai... All of them were laughing and shouting random 'Happy Birthday's.

The entire room was decorated, full of balloons and tons of other colorful and glittery stuff. One big banner stood out though, on her back wall. 'Happy Birthday Claire' Written proudly on it.

The blonde blinked, "My... birthday?"

Ann laughed and helped her friend up, "Well yeah, what else is there to celebrate on the 24th of Fall?"

"How did you know it was today? I don't remember telling you..." Claire said, confused.

Ann smiled innocently, "I crept in your house in the beginning of summer, it was written on your calendar."

"You... broke into my house?"

"Yup!" Ann said, laughing, "Now come on, it's cake time!"

Without any delay, Claire was dragged to her heavily decorated table on which sat an imposing cake. The blonde was shoved in a chair, candles were lit and lights were turned off. On cue, everyone started singing the famous 'Happy Birthday' song, managing to be so off-key that a brand new tune was created. It wasn't that bad... Just so off, it resembled the true melody in no way.

As the song ended, Claire took a deep breath and blew out her candles proudly. Only to watch them come back to life a second later. Startled, Claire took another deep breath, determined to turn them off.

A few minutes later, Claire was desperately trying to catch her breath, she had finally turned those annoying candles off. Her left eye twitching, the blonde looked around at the different people sitting around the table.

"Alright... Whose idea was it to buy trick candles?" She asked, still huffing and panting like a little old lady. (1)

As if on cue, two redheaded siblings looked at each other and quickly out the window, whistling innocently. Laughter claimed the table while Claire wheezed and choked on a giggle.

"I ...will get... revenge," she warned them darkly.

_'This is approximately the 100__th__ time you promise to get revenge on those two..._ _You never did.' _a snide voice commented from the back of her head. Claire rolled her eyes and bit back a retort. No good would come if she muttered 'shut the hell up' in front of everybody.

Shaking her head, Claire got rid of the annoying voices and came back into the real world.

After the cake, presents were opened. All sorts of objects found their way in the blonde's hands. A new rubber duckie from Ann, (So that Ms. Fluffykins wouldn't be to lonely) a little hand-carved wood horse from Cliff, a new dress from Popuri and Kai... etc etc. Time wore on, and the light from the sun started to glow red in the sky. Music was turned up louder, dancing started, laughter was heard and a few beers started circling the room.

Claire laughed as the world fuzzily swam around her while she danced, her arms around Gray's neck. Said redhead was grinning idiotically and swayed awkwardly with her in time with the music. Obviously the pair had drunk more than they should have. Not enough to be drunk but enough to be happily buzzed. As was everyone around them. But to Claire, they were all just colored smudges. Right now, she was dancing with Gray and enjoying it, so the world could go to hell, she wouldn't care.

Time seemed to fly by as the loud music plowed on into the night and Claire continued dancing, laughing all the way. It was her, the music, Gray and that energetic rhythm.

More time slipped away and people started leaving, wobbling and tripping all the way, trying to find their way to their house.

In the end, as the stars lit up the sky, only Claire, Ann, Cliff and Gray were left in the farmhouse, laughing about some random thing. They had decided to spend the night, too tired to go home. Not to mention that the Inn was surely closed by now.

As they tried looking for blankets on which they could spend the night, Cliff tripped and grabbed Claire's arm to make himself stable, sending her crashing to the floor. In her alcohol-induced giddiness, Claire started giggling madly, apparently finding the situation hilarious. Gray, glared dully at his best-friend before sending a pillow in Cliff's face with enough force to knock him down to the floor as well.

As Cliff blinked and realized what had happened to him, Claire only laughed harder. Meanwhile, Ann's gaze had turned murderous and she started throwing all the pillows she could reach at her brother. This of course was the beginning of a 'Sibling Showdown' while Cliff and Claire watched from the floor, laughing their heads off.

A particularly nasty shot from Gray sent Ann tumbling back a few steps. Of course, Cliff, who immediately reacted, decided to get revenge for his beloved (2) and surprise-attack Gray. Let's say that Gray was not expecting a pillow traveling at approximately the speed of light to hit the back of his head. Which led Cliff to be attacked by Claire herself. And then... Well things were just a mess of flying pillows.

A half hour later, the four were all on the floor, snoring away, drunk, exhausted and happy. Except for the snores, things were quite...quiet (3) under the bright moon. No one noticed cruel eyes watching them slowly from the darkness, never blinking. A slight smile apeared as well in the dark before they vanished, leaving only the darkness.

**The next morning.**

Gray felt something wet lick furiously at his cheek. His eyes shut tight, the redhead groaned and tried batting the thing away, without any success. The licking got only even more frantic.

_Who the hell is licking me?!_ Was the first coherent thought to enter Gray's mind. _Wait..._ _Licking?!_ Was the second one.

Blue eyes snapped open to come face to face with... a very happy beagle. Letting out a yelp, Gray shoved the dog off his chest and wiped his cheek desperately with his sleeve.

"Ew! Ew! Gross! That's so gross!"

Ignoring the voice of reason in his head that told him he was acting like a girl, Gray continued wiping his cheek and whining. Until he realized that no one was up to hear his whining that is.

Immediately distracted, he looked around and realized that yes, for once, he was the first one up. On his right, Cliff was snoring quietly, huddled in a tiny ball. Next to him, Ann was in a sort of star-shaped position, smiling and mumbling happily. And finally, on his left, Claire was sleeping quietly, smothered by millions of pillows.

After a minute of waiting, Gray started to get bored. Sighing, the redhead laid down on his side and poked Cliff in between the shoulder blades absentmindedly. The brunet groaned and turned over, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling. Gray smirked and started poking his friend in the ribs, harder this time. Cliff frowned and mumbled before turning over once again. Gray's smirk got wider and he poked even harder along the top of Cliff's spine. The brunet groaned audibly and Gray chuckled as chocolate eyes opened.

When Cliff realized what had woken him up, he frowned, looking around for the culprit. Turning around to glare at his friend, Cliff smacked the redhead on the head.

"Do you have to do that every time you wake up before me?!"

Gray just shrugged, "I was bored."

"Honestly..." Cliff started before rolling his eyes and getting up, "Ah. Whatever. I'm going to take a shower, I don't think Claire will mi-"

Before Cliff could end his sentence though, Gray sprinted before his nose and entered the bathroom first, locking the door behind him and effectively slamming it right in the brunet's shocked face.

Cliff just smiled, a sense of victory overcoming him, "You don't have any towels," he said triumphantly.

A smug voice wafted from behind the door, "I prepared everything last night. Towels, spare cloths. They were all ready and waiting for me."

"You... sneaky bastard!" Cliff choked slightly on his words, eyes burning holes into the closed door, "You planned this! You knew I was going to decide to take a shower! You...! You... really sneaky bastard!"

A chuckle was all Cliff heard before the water started running. The brunet sighed and sat back down next to his sleeping girlfriend. Gently he started caressing your cheek, trying to ignore evil best friends and deciding to concentrate on his... eviller girlfriend. He just didn't have any luck did he?

"You and your goddamn brother are going to be the death of me," Cliff muttered under his breath, "Who in your family had the idea to pass you these genes of deviousness?"

Ann smiled, "From what my father told me, we got it from our mother."

Cliff tried to keep the surprise off his face, "You were awake? Since when?"

An until now very-much-asleep Claire rose, a smile on her face, making Cliff jump. Why was everyone pretending to be asleep?! Did they want him to have a heart attack?

"We woke up earlier than you think..." Claire trailed off,

Cliff arched an eyebrow, "...?"

"I mean, how did you think Origami ended up in here, licking at Gray's face? That little dog didn't enter on his own."

Cliff blinked and started laughing, "Gray got woken up by a dog licking his face? Poking in the back suddenly doesn't seem so bad now..."

Ann and Claire exchanged a look, laughing along. Claire felt all warm inside, this day was starting out just great.

The morning wore on and everyone took turns taking their shower before sitting together at breakfast. The windows were wide open, getting rid of the stale air and letting in a bit of leftover warmth. Claire noticed that winter was quickly approaching and the sunny days were getting rarer.

_Maybe_, Claire thought, _this will be the last sunny day for a long time._

This realization struck her as she was munching on her second piece of toast. Frowning, she looked down, trying to find an idea of how they could celebrate it. At least make the day slightly special, to be able to really enjoy the last bit of sunlight and warmth.

"Claire?" Ann's curious voice shook the blonde out of her reverie, "You okay? You've been staring at your piece of toast for the past five minutes..."

Claire smiled slightly, "Yeah, I'm fine. I was thinking of a what we might be able to do today. After all, this might be the last sunny and warm day we have in a long long time."

The three others stopped eating for a second, exchanging interested glances.

"Well..." Ann said, turning the spoon in her hot chocolate absentmindedly, "Did you have anything in mind?"

Claire nodded, "I was thinking about a walk on Mother's Hill finished by a nice picnic."

"That doesn't sound too bad at all," Gray admitted, shifting his trustworthy hat.

"It actually sounds nice," Cliff mumbled, licking on his fingers and getting them rid of strawberry jam.

Claire beamed, "Cool! Ann and I will work on the picnic!"

Ann nodded while Gray and Cliff exchanged a smug look, knowing that since they couldn't really cook, they wouldn't have to do anything.

Claire immediately noticed the look and smiled, "Of course, that doesn't mean you two won't have anything to do. I'd really appreciate it if you cleaned the mess in the living room."

Gray and Cliff gulped, knowing all too well how monstrous the mess behind their back was.

When everyone was done with their breakfast, they all set themselves to their tasks. The sun rose higher and higher in the sky, basking the world in that golden glow that Claire loved so much. The living room was getting cleaner and cleaner and the house started to smell of cooking food.

Finally, as the sun almost reached it's peak, Claire, Gray, Ann and Cliff exited the house. The boys were holding a pretty full basket. Claire noticed with a smile that Gray was staring hungrily at the basket, more than probably because of the baked corn inside. As they were going to exit the farmland, Claire whistled for Ori, the dog immediately sprinting to them, barking joyfully.

Leaves crunched as they all walked on the mountain path, enjoying their brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow. Origami ran around excitedly, his tongue poking out from his mouth and chasing anything that moved.

Upon arriving on top, Gray and Cliff set down the basket with a relieved sigh. Ann set the large checkered blanket on the grass and laid down, staring up at the clouds, a dreamy look on her face. Cliff smiled and laid down next to her, both of them whispering quietly to each other.

Feeling that a little bit of privacy wasn't going to hurt the couple, Claire walked a little bit farther away, closer to the ledge. She was closely followed by Origami and Gray, the latter with his hands in his pockets and his eyes following the clouds. Sighing happily Claire looked out at the wonderful view, spreading out for miles until it met the sky in that beautiful blurry line known as the horizon.

"This is perfect," she murmured.

"Yeah," Gray answered from right behind her.

Claire jumped, she hadn't know Gray was that close to her! Turning around she saw the uncertain look that appeared on Gray's face.

"You okay Gray?" she asked, slightly worried.

"I didn't give you your present yet," Gray mumbled, his left hand shifting around in his pant's pocket.

Claire looked up curiously, "So... that means I do get one after all?" trying to keep the excitement not too present in her voice was harder than Claire had expected.

Blushing slightly, Gray took his clenched hand out of his pocket in silence before giving it to the awaiting blonde.

"It's not much..." he whispered.

Claire didn't open her hands yet, trying to guess what was inside. Maybe... could it be the silver and sapphire brooch? Excitement taking over, Claire opened her hand and her gaze fell on the most beautiful necklace that she had ever seen.

It was a golden chain, hanging on it, a single purple crystal, surrounded by little golden pearls. It was simply beautiful and completely the opposite of the awaited silver and sapphire. Claire could feel her cheeks flare up and tint pink. Without hesitating, she clasped the chain around her neck, loving the way that it seemed to be made just for her. And technically, it was.

Claire looked up to say thank you when blue met blue.

The world vanished, only a certain redheaded blacksmith in training stayed focused. Feeling slightly dizzy, Claire grabbed onto Gray, hearing his sharp intake of breath. The blonde's heart was thudding madly in her chest, hammering away and making blood rush up to her head. As she met Gray's confused eyes once again, Claire's brain went into overload and no coherent thought was made. Gray blinked once before gripping onto Claire's arm as well.

The redhead tilted his head and slowly started leaning forward just as Claire started raising herself on her toes. Neither of them controlling their actions. Claire felt her eyes drift slowly shut as the two got closer, and closer. Even in the darkness provided by her shut eyes, Claire could sense Gray, could know he was there. Ready to.. Ready to kiss her.

Time seemed to slow down. One thought though made it's way slowly into Claire's mind. 'Nothing could ever tear me apart from him now, not even an earthquake.'

A sudden terrified bark sounded out at the same time as two yells of warning and running footsteps. But Claire didn't hear them, neither did Gray. They were in their own world, so close to each other and ready to give in to what they had craved for a couple months.

No, they didn't noticed the cries of warning. But the sudden lurch beneath their feet and the groaning of shifting rocks, that, they noticed. The ground was gone from their under their feet.

And the time that had slowed down so much sped up to an incredible rate as Claire opened her eyes. Terrified shrieks of terror were heard as the world tilted. They were falling. The ledge had broken. Claire realized that one of the shrieks was her own. The blonde looked around as the world spun, rocks and boulders around her.

Blackness. She didn't even feel the impact. Just pure darkness. The world was lost and Claire's mind shut off.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Here we go! Chapter 15! **

**Ohmygosh! Another evil cliffhanger! No! -Cackle- Well my minions, you will have to review if you want to know what happens!**

**I am so evil. Fifteen chapters. Fifteen goddamn chapters and Gray and Claire didn't even kiss yet. -Avoids tomatoes- I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm so-gets hit by tomato- ACK!**

**(1) No offense to old ladies**

**(2) lol**

**(3) lol**

**By the way, I know the birthday party was sort of rushed... It just... wasn't really important ^^'**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review!**

**El: Yeah!**


	16. Puppet Master

**Er... Hi?**

**Okay... so I'm aware a lot of people hate me right now. XD just by looking at the reviews I feel bad at how much hyperventilating I caused... I left all you faithful readers on a very mean cliffie and didn't update for a long time... I just hope you'll feel better after reading this! **

**El: Or not.**

**Me: Shut up -.- I don't own Harvest Moon... *sob***

**El: Whatever, enjoy and please review. **

**Warning: the angst in this chapter is palpable. Really. It was kinda necessary for this chapter...**

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Claire walked endlessly, eyes wide as she tried to see in the surrounding darkness. Why was there no light? Why was she here, wherever it was?

Why, why, why, why... The word kept repeating itself in Claire's mind, a vicious mantra ringing in her ears. The blonde shook her head, trying to clear it. She had a job. She had to find light.

And she started running. Running faster and faster, trying desperately to find something, an indication to where she was.

But as she continued running and no signs revealed themselves, Claire didn't panic. She didn't even feel the least bit tense. As her sprint, which had slowed to a jog, slowed down to a simple walk, Claire realized that she felt... safe. Protected from danger in a little dark sanctuary.

Somewhere far away from her little haven, the real Claire wasn't showing any signs of life. She was currently laying in a clean white cot, her right leg enveloped in a cast. Over her, Elli stood still, wringing her hands and checking her friend's vitals every few seconds. Claire had slipped in a deep unconscious state a few hours ago and had not moved an inch since then.

Elli let out a shaky breath and quickly checked the vitals of the person in the neighboring room. At least, Gray was faring slightly better... Both of them looked so peaceful, laying there... Elli gulped slightly. Was it right to feel that when they woke up, they would wish to still be unconscious? Would they be disappointed to have woken up?

The little nurse quickly shook her head to get rid of those horrible thoughts. It was without any doubt the fatigue getting to her. After all, she had been running around for the entire afternoon and part of the night. Elli walked out of Claire's room, shutting the door with a soft 'click'. She sat down at her office, shifting folders and papers around, ignoring the little voice saying that she would have to fill it all out sooner or later.

"Are you alright?"

Elli jumped, surprised by the sudden statement made right behind her.

"Hey, don't worry Elli, it's just me."

Elli grimaced a half-smile as she recognized her favorite doctor, "I'm sorry Trent, I'm a little... tense right now..."

The doctor answered with the same awkward smile as he glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the desk full of paperwork. No words were spoken as he took some folders off of the desk and started filling them out. Elli smiled at the kind gesture. All the less work for her.

The night wore on with heavy silence in the air. In the end, Elli fell asleep on her desks, worn out. With a sigh, Trent picked her up bridal style, walking slowly and cautiously up the stairs to their room.

A day passed. During that afternoon, to everyone's relief, Gray woke up. Never had they been so happy to hear him cursing. He received a very rare hug from Ann and was therefor convinced his sister had a concussion.

The day ended. The clinic was slowly emptied, all the last visitors ushered out.

The moon was high in the sky and... Claire's eyes opened.

With a startled gasp, the blonde looked around the unfamiliar room, desperately trying to figure out where she was. She was... awake?

Claire sat up in her bed, still unsure about her exact location. The simple white room was just too familiar to be unknown to her, right?

"Confused darling?"

Claire jumped and whipped her head to her right. There, on the edge of her bed, a dangerously beautiful woman was looking at her with amusement. The woman had long blond curls, sharp red eyes and a cruel smile. All dressed in black, Claire had to admit she looked like a witch. A beautiful, intelligent and cruel one.

"Um..." Claire gulped, "Hi. Do... Do I know you?"

The woman smiled, "I know you."

Well that was more than slightly freaky.

"Okay then... Could... could you tell me your name?"

"You can call me the Witch Princess. Or just Witch P."

Claire didn't answer. A real witch? That wasn't possible was it...? Shaking her head, Claire decided not to think about that right now. After all, the Harvest Goddess was real. So why not this woman?

One thing was bothering Claire though.

"You said... that you know me," the blonde mumbled, "Are you ...stalking me?"

The Witch Princess laughed, the tinkling sound soothing Claire's nerves. She smiled slightly, feeling slightly stupid for thinking such a thing. Now that she thought about it, there was no reason for this woman to stalk her. Okay, she felt really dumb... But at least, the tension Claire felt had dissipated.

"Dear child... I do not need to resort to stalking to know everything about you," the Witch Princess's voice was playful and pleasant but her eyes were hard, cold.

The tension reappeared, ten times stronger than the moment before. Claire knew very well that she was gaping like a fish at that moment but she couldn't control herself.

"What... What do you want with me?" she croaked, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

The Witch Princess hummed happily, looking thoughtful. Claire could very well see that the cruel woman wasn't thinking, she was just trying to scare her even more. And it was working very well.

"Well child... First of all, do you where you are?" was the melodic reply.

Claire looked around, willing her brain to function properly and tell her where she was. Just as she was about to give up, something went 'tilt' and a smile appeared on Claire's face. Of course! It was completely obvious!

"We're at the Clinic," she said confidently.

The Witch Princess nodded, like a teacher approving the wok of one of her students.

"And do you know why you're here?" even though the question was in the same melodic tune as the last sentence it sounded more harsh, sharp.

The picnic. Cliff and Ann staying together. The necklace. Gray. The almost-kiss. Origami. The cliff crumbling, bringing her and Gray crashing down. It all exploded through Claire's head, making her choke slightly on the air she was breathing. Were the others okay? What had happened after they fell?

Her eyes wide, Claire prodded around her neck, her heart beating loudly. The necklace! Was it still safe and sound around her neck?

A chuckle made Claire turn her head back to the Witch Princess. The latter was holding a delicate golden chain between her thumb and forefinger, a familiar and beautiful purple crystal hanging on it. It was being swung back and forth in a regular and fluid movement.

"Very pretty isn't it?" the statement was dangerously low. So much in fact that Claire wasn't sure it had been aimed at her, more like a thought said out loud.

"My necklace!" Claire exclaimed, "Please give it back!" as she moved to snatch it away, it disappeared. Gone under the folds of the witch's midnight black robe. Claire gulped.

The Witch Princess leaned closer, her eyes a swirling red, "You didn't answer the question dear girl. _Do you know why you're here?_" there was so much pressure in that voice that Claire was forced to look away. The melodic tune was gone, leaving only the hard, cold voice.

Claire looked down at her hands, "...Yes."

The Witch Princess leaned back, "Smart girl." there it was, that melodic tune again. And so was the necklace, swinging back and forth, glinting in the dark.

"Please... Give me back my necklace," Claire felt her voice waver.

"This?" the swinging stopped.

Claire didn't feel that she would be able to answer without breaking down and settled for nodding desperately.

The Witch Princess chuckled, "You might want it now... but pretty soon I assure you you won't."

Claire frowned, "Please give it back, it means a lot to me."

The swinging started again, "It means a lot to you? You're right. It's like a trophy isn't it? Another trophy to prove that you managed to fool people. That you are the best puppeteer around."

"What... What do you mean?" Claire felt a small gnawing in her stomach, why was she so scared? She hadn't done anything wrong, had she?

"Of course you did something wrong Claire," the Witch Princess said as she leaned closer to the shivering blonde, "You're manipulative, you bend yourself to other people's dreams. You become perfect, and then, you take what you want from them."

Claire's fright immediately evolved into anger, "What do you mean?! I do not do that! I do not take anything from my friends! From anyone!"

The Witch Princess smirked and waggled her finger, "No no no Claire. Wrong. You do take things from people. Maybe not right away but... You mold yourself so perfectly to the expectations of the people you want... You become the love or friend of their dreams. You become their dream. Then you make them feel that they owe you something. They become indebted to you. No one actually knows the real you. Know why?"

Claire nodded, for lack of anything else to say.

"Because she simply doesn't exist."

"That... That's a lie!" Claire felt her anger slipping away, she tried desperately to keep it, afraid that the moment it left, she would break down.

The necklace swung maliciously, "Oh Claire, you know that's the truth. Remember your parents? You knew everything about them, what buttons to push, how to act, what they loved, what they didn't... Everything to be able to make them break under your will. You were the perfect daughter, they would have done anything for you and it eventually led them to their deaths. You knew it was dangerous to go driving that night but... you're so selfish Claire..."

Claire's eyes widened, her breathing became labored, "I... I was a little girl! All children do that! And the... the car crash was not my fault! It was an accident!"

The Witch Princess hummed thoughtfully, suddenly appearing behind Claire, making her jump. The cruel woman started stroking Claire's long blond hair with icy hands, the humming not stopping for a single moment. The young farmer tried to keep her breathing steady, without really managing to.

"I can tell you want to believe that it was an accident until the end of your days... So I won't pursue with that."

Claire sighed audibly until the Witch Princess chuckled, making Claire tense up again.

"But... What about when you came here? You already had them in your control before you even set foot here. You knew all about them, and you exploited the fact. You controlled them. Making them see you as someone almost perfect. And you chose them. The people you found amusing, you charmed them into a strong friendship. Making them see you as an angel fallen from the highest of heavens. As for the others... You never cast them a second glance but you still charmed them into admiring you."

"Stop!"

"And that boy... Gray. You cut him off from the rest of the world, made him obsessed with you. Or should I say, who you _wanted_ him to see. You wanted him all for yourself. Selfish little girl..."

"I said stop!"

"You went so far with your control that he loves the personality you created enough to give her a token of his love."

The necklace hung in front of Claire's watery eyes, reflecting the moonlight.

"But you know he doesn't really love you. Which is why you want to keep him to yourself even more. Which is why you keep using that _game_." the last word was spitefully spit out with disgust.

A little cartridge landed on the pillow in front of Claire and the blonde didn't have to look down to know it said 'More Friends of Mineral Town'.

The Witch Princess chuckled, "You went so far as to actually charm your animals into adoration. I can't believe there is more selfish than you on this planet."

"I'm not selfish," Claire whispered, desperately trying to believe her own words.

"Really?" the Witch Princess was back in front of Claire, her red eyes intense, "I think you are. So much in fact that you want the ultimate sacrifice from the people you ensnare. The ultimate token of adoration. Your parents were the first to pay it weren't they?"

Claire gulped, her throat incredibly dry.

"That ultimate and incredible sacrifice... their life."

"Stop..." Claire wasn't yelling anymore, her voice had been reduced to a hoarse whisper, "I would never want to take someone's life. Ever."

The Witch Princess laughed, "Oh yes, you do. Think back little girl, to that time at the beach where you pretended to drown. That was only the beginning. To test them. And two days ago, at the mountaintop... You got your wish didn't you? Another sacrifice..."

Claire gasped, "What?! No please! Tell me what you're saying isn't true! G-Gray can't be d-dead!"

The beautifully cruel woman cocked her head, "Did I say your friend Gray had died? No no darling, I'm talking about someone loyal to you from the very first day. Someone who adored you to no end. He gave his life to try and save yours."

"Who..." Claire's eyes became wide, "O-Origami..."

The Witch Princess threw her head back and laughed, a crystal clear sound, beautiful, enticing and deadly. Like bells made of crystal and ice.

Claire was under shock. She had to be lying. Origami wasn't dead. He couldn't be.

Icy hands clasped the necklace around Claire's neck, making her shiver. The necklace was freezing... In the background, the crystal bells continued to sing, sing that laughter that made Claire fall faster and faster.

A pair of soft lips brushed across her forehead in a twisted and cold imitation of a kiss and...Claire was alone.

Claire didn't cry. No. For hours, she just sat there in her bed, her mind trying to understand what had happened.

Ori... Her faithful little dog... He was _dead_.

It was all true wasn't it. All of it. From the beginning, the Witch Princess had been right.

Claire didn't want the necklace anymore.

With a burst of energy, she took of the necklace, her hands shaking and held it tightly in her right hand. In her left hand, a small black cartridge was carefully stored away.

Selfish. Fake. Origami...dead.

She had fooled everyone... She needed to get out of here. For everyone's sake.

Claire got out of bed, dressed in a white hospital gown. But she barely noticed. The trip back home was a complete blur. So was the hour where she made her bag, got changed and walked one last time around her farm. Claire didn't notice anything, not her bandages, not the rising sun, nothing.

Walking to the beach, she still didn't see anything except for the path beneath her feet. As she dragged her suitcase along, she didn't think about where she was going to go and how. She just had to get out of here.

No one else was on the street, all of them still blissfully sleeping. Claire was thankful for that, knowing she wouldn't have had the energy to talk to anyone.

At 6am, she was gone with the first boat.

As she sat in the rocking cubicle, dozing off, Claire's imagination took over.

Elli would be waking up right now. She would come down, holding a cup of steaming coffee, Trent right behind her. They would open the windows, ready to start a new day.

When they walked into the room where Claire was supposed to be, they would be surprised and start looking around. Part of them would be scared for her, the other happy because she was now awake.

As they looked for her, they would notice the unlocked door. Worry would gnaw at them and they would start walking quickly outside, Trent going to her farm and Elli to the Inn.

Elli would arrive first to her destination. The little nurse would quickly alert everyone and be just as quickly disappointed. Ann, Gray and Cliff would follow her as she decided to catch up with Trent, all of them incredibly worried.

As they arrived at the farm, Trent would be at her door, knocking politely. When no answer would come, Ann would be the first to crack and try to open the door to find it unlocked. Inside, they would find the open and empty wardrobe, but everything exactly in place. The bed not even unmade.

Gray would probably be the first one to notice the letter, on the table where they had made cookies. Quickly he would rush to it, everyone following closely. Inside the letter they would find the small note.

_'I'm Sorry'_

And maybe then they would understand. She was gone, she wouldn't come back. She couldn't come back.

At first they would deny everything, but it would slowly sink in. They would be confused, utterly and completely. No, she had left no phone number, no explanations, nothing except a small apology. They would feel betrayed.

Morning would pass, nobody knowing what to do. In their minds, they were still expecting her to jump out from behind a bush and yell 'Got you all!'. It had to be a joke after all, right?

'Got you all'. How ironic.

As the town would come to hear the news, and news spread fast, denial would always be the first reaction.

Under shock, they would take care of her animals. They would bury Origami. All her friends would probably be there. And even under the sun, it would feel as though icy drops were being sprinkled.

The ultimate sacrifice...

And as the days passed, her animals would be taken care of, the last of her plants picked. Perhaps, a friend would come in once a week to clean her house a little. Flowers would often be picked and then be left to lie on Origami's grave.

Slowly life would return to normal.

There would be times where they would look at each other and wonder why. Her closest friends, Ann and Gray especially would be changed. Gray would retreat into himself and seldom come out. His fights with his grandfather would get more intense. Ann would cling onto Cliff for support, part of her mind still expecting her to come back.

But they would get better.

Life would return to normal. A life without a person controlling them.

A life without a puppet master.

That was her wasn't it? Claire was a puppet master and yet a puppet herself. A puppet of many faces. Many many beautiful faces but none of them real.

As Claire sailed to a new life, tears left unshed in her eyes, she smiled slightly and started whispering prayers up to the sky. Prayers she had learned as a child, prayers for Origami. And among the prayers, an occasional apology.

Unnoticed and forgotten, next to her feet, her suitcase. In her suitcase, at the very bottom, a black cartridge and beautiful necklace lie together.

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

**Wow. That's a lot of angst. O.o I think it's because I'm depressed...**

**I promise there will be less angst in the next chapter! ^^**

**I know this took a long time to post but I had the forever evil writer's block!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed...**

**El: Right... This chapter was just scary you know.**

**Me: *ashamed***

**El: Anyyyyway, please review! That convinces us to fight the writer's block!**

**Me: Yeah, and I'm starting to near a hundred reviews... make my dream come true?**


	17. Rise and Shine

***Crawls out from under rock* Uh... hello! **

***avoids missiles* Oh god! You have no idea how sorry I am! I'm very very sorry for not updating in such a long time! But writer's block is evil... Isn't it ironic that when I had time, I wrote nothing and now that I should be studying for my Finals (which are after tomorrow BTW) I can write again?**

**El: Anyway, moving on, we have reached over a hundred reviews! Thank you all so much! *wipes away tear* this is so awesome! Oh, and everyone applaud EsperSy who got the 100th review! **

**Me: I love you all! Hope you enjoy this chapter... might be a bit rusty though...**

**El: We still don't own Harvest Moon... And probably never will.**

Days passed. Weeks. And pretty soon, an entire season. It was winter again.

Claire sighed and stirred her cup of coffee (she had given up on hot chocolate long ago, hating the déjà vu feelings that coursed through her body every time). Outside the window of her small apartment, snow was falling thickly, covering the world once again in it's muffling blanket.

Biting on her lip, Claire got up to rinse her cup, keeping memories of another day just like this one far away from her thoughts. There was no way she was thinking about that.

As she glanced around her apartment, the blonde realized how dull it was. Exactly like before. A little home, alone in a big city. A little job, boring to tears. A little girl, grown up too soon.

But it was better this way.

Silence followed the thought. No snide comments were heard from the back of her mind, no little Devil and/or Angel 'poof'-ed onto her shoulder. No, those two had disappeared along with Mineral Town.

Wrenching her mind away from the thoughts that would surely lead her back to the past, Claire started going over her day. The same old routine. Waking up, getting a cup of coffee and then shuffling through the snow to get to her job. As a secretary.

Oh joy.

At the end of the day, the same path that had been taken during the morning, except the opposite way. Unlock her door, get in, take a shower, eat, get ready for bed... And then this. Sitting on her lousy second-hand couch and try to avoid the memories that plagued her mind.

Was this the life she was really looking for?

Claire growled and turned the TV on, deciding that burning her brain cells wasn't such a stupid idea in the end.

As mindless cartoons flashed across the screen, Claire couldn't help but let her mind wander. In a few seconds, old memories flashed up in her mind, memories of flowered fields, apple trees, white chicken feathers...

Tossing and turning on her couch, Claire knew it was too late to try and escape the memories. Like every night, she lost to them. And like every night, the blonde fell asleep thinking of little happy, cozy farms, happy puppies and cerulean blue eyes.

Driing!

The sudden ring of the phone jolted Claire awake, making her confused as she took in her surroundings. Fumbling around for the phone, she looked at her clock and realized it was currently 2am. Why would anyone call at this time of night?

Dring!

Frowning, Claire picked up the phone, bringing it slowly to her ears.

"Claire Collins," she mumbled, sleep still clinging onto her.

"Hello, Miss Collins? This is Doctor Grant from the hospital. I'm extremely sorry to bother you at this hour but I'm calling to inform you that your brother Jack Collins woke up a few hours ago from his coma."

Claire felt her mouth fall open, the surprise stunning her into silence. The blonde gulped, her throat dry as she tried to gather her thoughts. She was about to answer when the main character from the horror movie playing on TV let out a terrified screech, surprising both the doctor on the phone and Claire.

"Miss Collins? Are you okay? I know this may be quite a shock but I-"

"When can I see him?" Claire felt the words blurt out of her mouth, not bothering to explain about the TV. That really didn't matter because Jack... Jack. Jack was awake. After three years. After three goddamn years, her brother had finally awoken.

"Excuse me? Ah, well... We don't know, it's better to let him rest for now. But he seems fine, although slightly disoriented. ...He's been asking for you you know."

Claire beamed at the news but pressed on, "When can I see him?"

"... I guess if you came tomorrow afternoon it would be fine... But I warn you that you won't be able to stay a long time, he is very tired."

Claire's smile became even wider and her voice started shaking with emotion, "Thank you very much sir! I'll be there tomorrow!"

"Uh, right Miss Collins. Have a good night! And please don't do anything... umm that you wouldn't consider smart."

"You too doc! Please take care of my brother!" Claire squealed as she started hoping from foot to foot, the excitement of the news causing a sort of sugar high effect on her.

The moment the phone clicked back into it's case, Claire squealed and started jumping around, laughing at the top of voice. It felt so good to be released from the worry! As cliché as it sounded, Claire felt like flying among the stars, singing her joy to the world.

...Okay so maybe not sing. Claire was a horrible singer. But still.

Claire continued yelling and dancing for a few minutes until another shriek from the TV caused her to yell out in surprise and fall down. It took her a few moments to fully understand that she was sitting on her carpeted floor behind the couch. When it did finally sink in, Claire turned off the TV and laughed quietly before laying down on the very floor. As she stayed there for a few moments, weariness settled in and Claire felt no need to move. After all, the carpet was clean and comfortable, why not be lazy and spend the night there?

Without another thought, Claire closed her eyes and fell asleep on the spot, the fatigue from the past couple of days catching up to her.

This was how morning found her, fully clothed and snoring away on her carpet.

As the alarm clock rang it's shrill wake-up call, Claire got up with a smile, turning it off without smashing it into a wall. A first ever since she came back from Mineral Town.

In fact, a lot of things were different that morning, Claire ate all of her breakfast, cleaned her room properly and actually left early for work. Early enough to actually buy the newspaper and take a walk in the snow covered park.

The world does look different when you are finally strong enough to look and embrace the beauty around you.

And when Claire got out of work with a smile on her face and a bouquet of flowers in her hand, making a bee-line for the hospital, she realized that life could be truly beautiful at moments.

The blonde barely noticed her surroundings as she climbed aboard a subway, face deeply immersed in the bouquet of flowers. As she sat down, Claire dunked her head completely in the bouquet breathing the sweet scent deeply. Although it must have looked extremely odd to the people around her, Claire felt soothed with her head in the flowers. It brought back feelings of her fields, where she had started planting different pinkkats, moondrops and toyflowers.

Claire was actually so into her flowers (both figuratively and literally) that she almost missed her stop. Not feeling embarrassed at all she quickly skipped her way to the hospital. Never mind that clouds were gathering in the sky, never mind that a few drops were starting to fall on her and never mind that she was probably going to get soaked on the way home. The beginning of the end of her depression was like a sort of sugar high to Claire. A sugar high accompanied by pink-tinted glasses that made the world look sweet.

So sweet in fact that she simply smiled at everyone, be it drunkard, aristocrat, prostitute, or even the llama president.

When she finally arrived at the hospital, the rain was starting to pour down more steadily and Claire felt her clothes starting to get heavy with water. And that's how she entered the hospital, drenched and holding her flowers upside down.

A nurse passing by immediately noticed poor Claire looking lost and forlorn, like an abandoned kitten. Or just like a soaked young woman, dripping pathetically on the floor and sneezing every so often. Your choice.

The nurse felt determined to help this forlorn kitten (pathetic girl) and brought a stack of towels out from behind a desk before marching over to Claire and scrubbing her raw, all the while mumbling about 'good clean floors' and 'mud'.

After she escaped from the furious nurse, Claire made her way to the lobby and then up to her brother's room.

Suddenly, as she started walking down the hall, anxiousness nibbled away at her. What was she supposed to expect, once she walked through Jack's door? How would he react to seeing her? Did he believe the accident to be her fault? Would he blame her?

_Oh bullocks, just get in there Claire!_

Claire's eyes widened and she whipped her head around, looking for the source of the familiar voice. Alas, Devil and Angel Claire were nowhere to be seen.

Claire sighed sadly and albeit the disappointment, she now felt the rush of strength needed to open the door that would allow her to see her brother again.

The door made absolutely no sound as it spun on it's hinges, the smell of medical equipment and extreme hygiene hitting Claire right in the face. The room she now stood in was pretty small, the walls a nice cream color. One of the walls housed an enormous window, the view being the small park the hospital owned. Outside, you could see a child in a wheelchair taking a walk with a nurse and a few other people that had recovered enough to enjoy the calm of winter and manage to survive the chill.

In the room, the only furniture seemed to be a small table and an assorted chair. On said table, an empty vase stood proudly and yet empty. Perfect for a few fresh flowers, like the ones Claire was holding.

Except Claire wasn't really thinking about her flowers right now. Neither was she thinking of the room, the park or the child in the wheelchair. She wasn't even sure she was actually thinking anything right there and then as the only thing in her mind was a slight annoying buzz.

But there, in a small hospital bed, with his brown locks longer than she had ever seen, with his hazel eyes twinkling and a small smile playing on his lips was Jack. He was siting in his bed, propped up against a few pillows, looking as if he had simply spent a good night's sleep. A goodn night's sleep that had lasted three years.

"Hey blondie. Long time no see."

The slight twisted humor along with the nickname lurched something in Claire. Three years... It had been three years since she had heard that voice. Not noticing that tears that suddenly seemed to pour down her cheeks, she threw herself into Jack's waiting arms.

"Jack! Jack, Jack, Jack..." His name became a mantra that she kept repeating as the tears fell.

Claire lost track of time at that moment, feeling incredibly safe. As sobs racked her body, she couldn't help but wonder why she was crying. Was it only because of the relief she felt? Was it the fact that she had almost given up hope on Jack ever waking up? Or was it simply that and all the pent-up emotions she had been storing away for so long?

When a soothing hand started patting her back, Claire banished the questions from her mind, now was not the time. Taking deep breaths, she worked on calming herself down.

Feeling that she was finally composed enough to talk without weeping, Claire untangled herself from her brother and smiled at him weekly, not really knowing what to say.

"Jack..."

"How many more times are you going to repeat my name like that?

"You... You're a bastard! I promised myself I wouldn't cry and yet you made me act like a baby."

Well... that wasn't exactly what Claire had been going for.

Jack just stared at her incredulously before throwing his head back and laughing. Claire giggled a little, feeling foolish and yet proud. God, she had never thought she would ever hear that laughter again.

Jack stared at her, his smile still wide, "I come back from the dead and this is what I get? An insult? I was hoping for a bit more love and comprehension here sister! I close my eyes, I'm seventeen. When I wake up, I'm twenty-one! If this keeps happening, I'll be an old grandpa soon!"

Claire laughed wholeheartedly at that.

"I'm sorry! I just... wasn't expecting our reunion to start with me in tears..." Jack raised an eyebrow dubiously and Claire turned away, "Okay. Maybe a little."

Jack laughed again and wrapped Claire in another hug. The blonde smiled softly, hugging him back, there truly was no place safer than your older brother's arms.

The hour she spent with Jack went by much too quickly but it made Claire's heart lighter than it had felt in a long time. And it was with the promise to come back every day that Claire left the hospital.

Days flew by and now, a whole week had passed. And like she did every day, Claire entered the hospital, a fresh bouquet of flowers in hand. The ones she had brought the last week were starting to fade.

A few moments later, she was at Jack's door, opening it without a second doubt. And there he was, in his bed as always, waiting for her.

Like she did everyday, Claire let out a cheery "Hello there!"

And like everyday, she was rewarded with a smug, "Why hello blondie."

With a smile, Claire headed over to the table, ridding herself of her outdoor gear, throwing her coat at Jack.

"Wipe that smirk off your face!"

Felling smug, she turned around to change the flowers, humming loudly. Smirking as she heard her brother sighing and pulling the coat off of his head.

"So Claire, since today you can stay longer, will you finally tell me what you've been up to this past year?"

Claire froze on the spot, hand clenching around the poor old flowers. _...What?_

"Claire?"

The blonde turned around, a slightly forced smile on her face, "What... What I've been up to? Nothing much you know, a little job over here, another one over there..."

Jack stared at her with an 'who are you trying to kid' look on his face, "Hey blondie... I'm your brother ...or did you forget that? What happened during the year?"

Claire sighed, defeated, "It's a bit of a long story..."

Jack shrugged and patted his bed, "And you know I don't care. I can see it's bothering you. And don't forget how boring it is in here, I need a good story."

Claire rolled her eyes but complied and sat down on the bed, "Okay so you remember that game? More Friends of Mineral Town?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, slightly confused by the start of the story but nodded.

"It was about a year ago..."

And without stopping, Claire went on recounting the events of the wacky year she had just spent. As she delved into her memories, becoming immersed in them her voice, so quiet in the beginning became more agitated, her eyes started twinkling with joy, her hands making large motions to explain what she was saying. She was gone, sucked back into her memories.

Jack listened intently to the mad tale he was hearing, a smile appearing when he learned about the existence of Mineral Town, a frown making it's way onto his face when he learned about the nightmares and the flashbacks, another smile when he learned about Claire's friends... but what struck Claire as the funniest though was the suspicious frown that shadowed her brother's face every time she spoke of Gray, the scowl becoming more pronounced as she described their closeness as best friends.

But as she neared the incident, Claire became more passive, her hands resting on her lap and her voice lower.

The frown on Jack's face became permanent as Claire's story slowly came to an end.

"...And then I got a job, right about a season before the hospital called, saying that you had woken up. …And that's ...it."

Claire sighed as exhaustion suddenly poured onto her, like telling the story had pulled all the energy out of her. She felt emotionally spent and... yet... much lighter. Sighing once again, Claire closed her eyes for a moment.

Which explained why she didn't see the head slap coming.

"Ow! What was that for?" Claire exclaimed clutching the back of her head.

Jack sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "God, Claire Collins, you are one of the stupidest girls I have ever met."

"Hey!"

"Honestly," Jack glared at his sister, "A freaky lady tells you scary things and you run away, thinking that you're protecting your friends? Fine then! My turn to tell you something, so sit tight and listen, because I am not going to repeat this!"

Claire nodded, her eyes wide, feeling like a 8 year old girl.

"Okay so this Witch Princess person, she said you already knew what your friends liked? Well so what? Did you shower them with gifts when you met them? Gifts you knew they would like? No you didn't! She also said you picked your friends. Well that's real dumb, everyone picks their friends! She also said you were fake. Now let me tell you something, if you had been fake, your friends would have felt it, would have left you. People feel those kind of things. And you can't stay fake forever. And this hypothesis that 'Claire' doesn't exist? Bullocks. Pure bullocks. I've known you since you were born. I trust myself to know these kinds of things."

With one last glare, Jack fell back in his pillows. Claire just sat there, mouth gaping and eyes wide.

Jack's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, "Understood? Or do you need more arguments?"

Claire stared at her brother, not knowing what to say, "Jack... I... Yes but..."

"Then what are you still doing here?" Jack asked, waving his arms around, "Go home, pack your bags and get a ticket to Mineral Town! Tonight! Or I'll have to kick you there myself! Understand?"

Claire gasped and stood up brusquely, right before losing her balance and falling on the ground.

"...I …Yes sir!" the blonde spluttered from her spot on the floor.

"Then go! Now!" Jack yelled, pointing at the door.

"Cripes!" As if an electroshock had just run through her, Claire grabbed her coat and ran towards the door. But a certain thought struck her and kept her from leaving, slowly, she turned around.

"...What about you Jack?"

Jack smirked and waved her away, "I'll be fine. Another week or two and I'm out of here. So if I was you, I'd get a little house ready for me in that town of yours. Now go, you've been away for too long."

Claire smiled sincerely, "Thank you Jack. I'll be waiting for you there."

The door slammed shut and Jack sighed before laying back down in his bed. Well that sure had been interesting. Closing his eyes, the brunet got ready to fall asleep when a small knock was heard on the door.

Jack arched an eyebrow, it couldn't be Claire again, could it? "Come in."

A worried nurse peeked inside the room, "Is everything alright sir? I heard some yelling."

Incredulous, Jack laughed, "No it's alright, don't worry, everything is fine now."

Still slightly worried, the nurse bowed her head as a goodbye and closed the door.

Jack shifted in his bed, staring out the window at a little figure with blond hair running away from the hospital. Yes, everything was fine now. With a smile the brunet closed his eyes for some well deserved sleep.

**The 'Next Chapter' button seems to be broken. Write a review for it to be fixed.**

**Just kidding. …Or am I? :D**

**El: You're an idiot. But I agree reviews would be awesome.**

**Me: Yeah, and isn't it awesome that Jack is now awake?**

**El: Personally I always found him hot.**

**Me: Oh Goddess, Jack, look out! Don't let El near you!**

**El: Hey!**

**Me: Haha, hope you enjoyed, once again, forgive me and don't forget to review! Be it to yell at me for not updating in a long time or simply to say what you thought of the chapter!**


	18. Home Sweet Home

**Hello! Sorry for the long wait... **

**-.- I feel like a complete idiot. A week ago, I thought I posted this chapter. But I didn't. *knocks self on head with hammer***

**El: I can help you with that hammer. :D**

**Me:...**

**Cliff: Please read and review! Oh and remember those two don't own Harvest Moon!**

**El: Where the hell did you come from?**

**Cliff: That is for me to know :D**

**Me: You sure became bold Cliff.**

**Cliff: Going out with Ann can do that to you :D**

**El: I can understand that. Anyway please enjoy!**

Claire stood on the pier, chewing on her lip anxiously. As she shifted from foot to foot she glanced around the beach. It was exactly as she had imagined it to be. Peaceful, quiet, beautiful, and well, just plain and pure _home_. And she stood there, still, as time passed and snowflakes fell. She waited. What for? Claire had to admit with a defeated sigh that she didn't quite know. But she did know one thing. She was one heck of a coward.

Claire sighed, the task that awaited her was not going to be easy. After all, she had been gone for more than a season. What was she supposed to say? 'I'm sorry I left you guys without a warning. Sorry I left you alone to bury Ori, take care of my farm and try to figure out what happened to me. I actually just felt like leaving because a scary witch that you believe doesn't exist told me to?'

…Yeah right. Like that would work.

Claire sighed again. And then almost sighed once more as she realized how much she had sighed in the last five minutes.

Absentmindedly, the blonde started fingering with the necklace around her neck. She had slipped it on the moment she came home from the last meeting with her brother. The cool metal on her skin soothing her, the deep color of the purple crystal reminding her that she was strong enough.

Fingers were clasped tightly around said crystal. It was a beginning. A first tie back to everything else. A proof that she could rebuild everything, everything she had destroyed. A proof that other people thought she belonged here as well.

"Claire?"

Oh crap, tranquility had suddenly come to an end. Claire whipped around at the familiar voice, eyes wide. Who was it?

"Kai...?"

And it was. There, standing in front of his Snack Shack, keys in hand and heavily wrapped in winter clothing. Something Claire had never expected Mineral Town's famous chef to ever wear. As eyes met, Claire saw the twinkle of joy light up in them and she couldn't help but smile.

"Clairie! It really is you! You came back!" Kai beamed suddenly, throwing his arms up, "Sure took your time didn't you?

Claire laughed, not expecting this reaction. But after all, Kai was Kai and that was enough for her to not be completely taken off guard.

"Hi Kai. So... you decided to keep the Snack Shack open in winter?" Claire said with an unsure smile, fidgeting with her gloves and pulling at the timeworn cloth.

Kai nodded vigorously, "Sure did! You have no idea how good business is in winter! Kind of a shock if you ask me, but you don't see me complaining! I should have thought about staying here a long time ago!"

Claire smiled and nodded, a sudden uncomfortable feeling gnawing at her. Was it because she felt like Kai was leading up to something? The glint in his eyes? Or the fact that she knew what he was going to talk about? Whatever it was, Claire felt her palms become slightly sweaty as her heartbeat sped up.

Kai's twinkling brown eyes stared at her, making her squirm, "So, Claire, my fellow deserter. I think I know better than anyone what you feel like right now. Kinda nasty this feeling nah?"

Claire raised an eyebrow but nodded. Where was Kai going with this?

A smile appeared on the handsome tanned face, "And you yet feel lighter, you did the right thing and you know it. You feel at home. Am I right? ...Even if you still mostly feel like complete crap"

So that was why. Claire smiled, suddenly thankful that out of all the Mineral Towners, Kai had been the first one to see her. Because he would be one of the few, if not only one to understand.

"I... Yes that's approximately it Kai but... The circumstances aren't the same. I believe mine are slightly more difficult..." Claire said, having no idea what she was babbling on about.

Kai's eyes widened comically, "I knew it! You're not pregnant are you? GRAY is! That would explain the mood swings!"

At the unexpected outburst, Claire burst out in peals of laughter, having missed Kai's particular sense of humor. But deep down she was worried. Mood swings? How was Gray feeling? What about Ann? And Cliff, Elli, Popuri... Heck she had promised Popuri she'd be there for her!

Noticing the worry on the blonde's face, Kai sighed and rolled his eyes, "Come on. Let's get you to the Inn."

Claire nodded, her throat dry. With a sigh, she realized that with her clammy hands, her sweaty forehead and large unblinking eyes, she must have looked like a fish. A fish about to be sent to market to be chopped up. She sighed again. _I really must get some help about this sighing thing. It's happening much too frequently._

Kai smirked slightly, probably remembering the way he had felt, standing there at her place during the Moon viewing festival. With a tiny push on the shoulder, Claire was sent forward and they walked in silence, the snow stifling the sound of their steps.

Much too quickly to her taste, the two were standing in front of the Inn's wooden double doors. Claire gulped, feeling like the looming building was about to eat her up. Kai simply stared at her, waiting for her to make the move and open the door. Claire stared at the simple brass doorknob. And stared. And stared some more.

_'Hurry up and open that goddamn door.'_ Claire's eyes widened, in front of her Angel and Devil had just appeared, smirking form ear to ear. _'Yeah. We're here now. You can do it.' _A small smile blossomed on Claire's lips at the sight of those two, she had missed them terribly. Even if that wasn't really normal and could get her locked up in the psycho ward.

Taking a deep breath, Claire nodded and grabbed the doorknob, ignoring the sting of the cold that seeped through her gloves, and pushed the door slightly open. She was ready for this. She really was. Claire squared her shoulders before pushing the door completely open, the gush of warm air making her blink furiously.

There were no immediate yells, no fainting or even a sound signaling that anyone had noticed her. Claire almost laughed at her foolishness as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. This wasn't a movie, why had she expected all of her friends to be at the Inn, waiting for her at eight in the morning? They probably were all at work or something.

"Claire? Is that you?"

Claire turned to her right, seeing a dumbfounded Doug. He had been cleaning the tables and had stopped mid-sweep.

"Hi Doug!" Claire beamed, it was so good to see another familiar face.

A tired smile blessed Doug's face, "You came back. You really did. Well... I... just... Welcome home Claire."

At the words, Claire couldn't help a small blush. _Welcome home_. Home. Mineral Town was her home.

"Don't I get at least a tiny 'hi'?" Kai pouted playfully.

Doug rolled his eyes, "Hi Kai."

Kai beamed and waved, "Hi Doug!"

Doug's chuckled before flitting his eyes up to the ceiling and then back at Claire, "Ann and Gray are still up there if you want to know."

Claire stopped mid-smile, "Gray isn't working?"

"He broke his wrist during the... accident," Doug said, clearly uncomfortable on the subject, "Doctor said to keep the work down to a minimum for a while."

"Gray must have been ...happy to get a break," Claire said, desperately looking for a positive aspect in what had happened.

Doug just shrugged, "As a matter of fact, he got so bored after three days that he went back to the shop. If only just to argue with Saibara or do other non-strenuous tasks."

"Oh," Claire just said as she stood there, "Well... I'll... I guess I'm going to go talk to them now..."

She started up the steps, Kai right on her heels when Doug cleared his throat.

Claire stopped, "Yes?"

"They were... very upset by what happened Claire. Especially Gray. Don't mess this up."

Claire smiled crookedly, nodding. She wouldn't mess this up. She just couldn't.

Doug smiled back and left, back into his kitchen where he could be himself. Just like his son, Doug was no good at this 'feelings stuff' and felt better in his element, away from people.

Now it was just Claire and those steps that seemed extremely high. Oh. And Kai.

Said young man was scratching his head, looking at her oddly.

Claire frowned, "Is there a problem?"

"I ...think I'm going to go see Popuri. My presence won't be of much help when you ...try to reason with Gray," with a frightened shiver, Kai headed back towards the doors, "See you later Claire!"

Claire glared at the now empty lobby. _Coward._

_'So... Are you going to stay here and glare at stuff or are we going to get up there?'_ Devil drawled, sitting on Claire's shoulder and examining her shiny red nails.

Claire stared at the nails, _weren't they black last time?_

Angel smirked as she admired her own brand new light blue nails, _'Makeover.'_

Claire rolled her eyes but started up the stairs, ignoring her thumping heart. She arrived in front of Ann's room, her throat dry. Taking a deep breath, Claire raised her hand and knocked.

"Yes? Come in!"

Claire licked her lips and slowly opened the door, her head peeking through the crack.

"Ann?"

"...Claire?"

Claire smiled tentatively and stepped inside while Ann just sat on her bed, eyes wide, mouth hanging open, a perfect picture of complete shock. Her hair was out of it's usual braid and hung in red wisps around the pale freckled face.

"Claire? Is that really you?" Ann's voice was soft. Fragile. Caught at a moment of weakness.

"Yeah, I'm... Hi...I, I wanted to say I'm sorry," Claire sighed, "I ...don't even know what... Well I don't even know what I'm saying."

And in a flash, Ann was in her arms, wrapping her in a tight hug. Claire blinked, overwhelmed, all she could see were the orange curls of her friend and the smell of the familiar shampoo she had stolen so many times.

For a moment, there was only the sound of labored breathing in the room. Only two friends hanging on to each other after months of abrupt separation.

Ann looked at Claire straight in the eyes, a twinkle in the blue orbs, "You jerk! Why did you leave like that?" Her voice was full of anger and resentment but the corners of her lips were twitching upwards.

Claire tried a smile, "I'm sorry... I just couldn't stay here... There... It's hard to explain..." she paused, joy bursting through her, "Oh Ann! I missed you all so much!"

Ann laughed and hugged her again, both ignoring the burning feeling in their eyes.

"Ann? Are you okay? I heard yelling," another redhead peeked through into the room and Claire swore that her heart stopped. Slowly she turned around to come face to face with the one person she had tried hardest to forget in the last months.

"Gray."

Gray's eyes widened and he didn't answer, just stood frozen in the doorway, his knuckles tightening harshly against the doorknob. His mouth slightly open, his face pale. Cerulean eyes fixed on her face, shifting nervously over her features as if to make sure Claire was really there, that she was actually and truly standing in front of him. That she had really come back after months of unjustified absence. Gray's gaze came to a stop on the necklace around Claire's neck and the young man drew in a shaky breath before going back up to her face. There, the sadness in his eyes became evident, the hurt, the disbelief and was that... hope?

Claire winced as the guilt built up in her chest, her hand tightening unconsciously around Ann's hand. She knew that what she had done had been horrible. She also felt the apologies on the tip of her tongue waiting to burst out, make her cry for forgiveness but for some reason, they refused to. They were just building up, like the tears in the back of her eyes. They were there, but stuck, beaten back and locked away. Claire stared into Gray's eyes in silence, not knowing what she was waiting for.

Ann looked back and forth between the two who were currently locked in each others eyes. Knowing they needed to be alone, a sigh escaped her. Slipping her hand out of Claire's, Ann walked quietly towards the door, prying Gray's fingers away from the doorknob and going out with one last worried look.

"Claire," Gray's voice was flat. As if her name was just a small insignificant statement.

"Gray," Claire inwardly winced at the slight waver in her voice.

Silence fell once again in the room. Claire stood still, knowing that waiting would probably be the best way to deal with Gray's emotions right now. To let him say what he wanted to say.

"Why?"

Claire winced outwardly this time. She had been expecting this question. She opened her mouth once, twice. What to answer to that question? Always that same question Why? Why? Why? Why...

"It's... hard to explain," were the words she finally muttered.

"Was it because of the accident?" Gray's voice was still neutral but his eyes betrayed an dark inner storm. They were a shade darker than usual and his knuckles were still blanched with strain.

Claire shook her head negatively, not trusting her voice.

"Why?"

Claire sighed, feeling her eyes sting. Why. Why? Again. Why? Feeling tired, she dropped her head. Weary to the bone.

"It's... I couldn't... I..." she stumbled, her mouth clumsy, feeling like her tongue weighed more than it should.

"Is it because of me?" the question was whispered, but Claire still detected the waver. Alarmed she looked up to see Gray looking completely crushed, despaired.

"No! Of course not! Why would you think that?" Claire felt her heart hammering away in her chest, making her feel slightly lightheaded.

Gray frowned, sighed and looked down, "You know... Before the cliff... I..."

_I almost kissed you._

Claire's eyes widened as she understood what Gray meant. She blinked, is that what he thought? Is that what was troubling him?

"Gray... I..." Claire stuttered, feeling a blush coming on.

_I wanted you to._

Blue eyes met blue. Claire drew in a shaky breath, feeling like a vacuum had suddenly sucked everything out of her brain. When had she suddenly moved so close to Gray? So close in fact that their bodies were only an inch apart from the other? Claire looked up and their eyes locked once again.

Gray raised a tentative hand, placing it slowly, softly on Claire's cheek. The blonde felt herself melt into the hand, a tingling sensation burning her face and before she could even figure out what had happened, Claire had thrown her arms around Gray's neck and pulled him into a breathtaking kiss. Gray's eyes shot wide open before he kissed back hurriedly, wrapping his arms around Claire's waist.

It was a simple kiss, lips against lips. Clumsy, hurried, full of anger, regret, happiness and just about every other emotion Claire could possibly think of. And...wet. Salty. Tears. She was crying. The tears had finally broken free. But that didn't matter, the sweet burning, impossibly soft sensation on her lips was all that was important now, as was the tornado of emotions inside her.

Too soon, they broke apart, gasping for air. A sigh escaped from Claire's lips and she buried her face into Gray's chest.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Gray tightened his grip on Claire's waist, making her feel warm and safe.

The blonde lowered her voice, "I can't tell you now why... But I promise I will... I promise..." she replaced her arms around Gray's chest before pulling him close.

Gray tensed for a second before relaxing once again, "...Fine."

Comfortable silence fell upon them as they stood in each others embrace. Claire smiled, feeling like she really belonged now.

"So... am I forgiven?" she asked, a smirk playing on her face.

Gray looked at Claire incredulously before throwing his head back and laughing. Claire smiled broadly. Gray really was handsome without his hat, without worries, the smile lighting up his face. Claire laughed a little as well and hoisted herself on the tip of her toes, placing a small kiss on Gray's lips. His smile only became wider, the twinkle in his eyes mischievous.

"You're forgiven you dolt."

Claire laughed, "Don't call me that."

"Fine then," a coy smile appeared, "Mouse."

Claire giggled and silence fell again.

"So... what are we now?"

Gray smirked at the familiar question, one that had been asked a long time ago under a full moon.

"I think I'm going to throw up from all this sticky sweetness."

"Yeah. But you have to admit it's cute."

Claire jumped a mile high, throwing herself out of Gray's arms, the young man doing the same. Flushing bright red they turned towards the door to see Ann, Kai, Popuri, Elli... And well just about all their friends, all crammed together and staring at them with little knowing smiles.

Ann smirked, "Oops. It seems like I forgot to close the door on my way out."

"And it seems I accidentally got everyone over here while looking for Pop," Kai said, mustering as much seriousness as he could in his voice but the chuckle at the end of the sentence betraying everything.

"Ann!" Claire hid her face in her hands, feeling her cheeks burn, "You! You had to do that!"

Ann's only answer was to laugh and high-five Kai.

Claire groaned and only tried to bury her face farther into her hands. A sudden warmth around her waist made her look up in surprise, Gray had pulled her into another hug. Sure, his face was on fire and he was looking forcefully at the ceiling, like he was willing for it to disappear. But to Claire, it was the cutest thing ever. With a smile, she rested her head on Gray's chest, giggling softly.

"Aaaaw!" a few voices chorused. Claire's slight smile immediately disappeared.

"Anyway, I'm happy for you two," Elli said as she stepped up to the newly-founded couple, "Really. But, I'm going to ask you to step away Gray. My turn to have a hug."

Gray rolled his eyes and took a step back, Ann immediately pouncing on him and drowning him in questions. Meanwhile, Elli had pulled Claire into a tight hug, whispering how she was glad that Claire had made the right choice.

In the half hour that followed, there were many more hugs, laughs and tears as they got reacquainted.

To Claire's surprise, she learned that Elli and Trent were now a couple and that Rick and Karen were engaged.

"Congratulations guys!"

"Thanks!" Elli and Rick blurted out at the same time, causing a few more laughs.

"Sheesh, with all the romance going around, Mineral Town is going to be swamped with babies before we know it."

"Kai!"

More laughter.

Claire smiled as she felt all... well …_bubbly _from all the happiness. But the one thing that warmed her most had to be Popuri's now visible rounded stomach. Popuri noticed Claire's frequent glances and sent her a coy wink.

Kai smiled and put a protective hand on Popuri's stomach, "We decided to call her Elizabeth."

Claire beamed, "That's a really pretty name."

Ann just scratched her head, "I think I'll settle for calling her Lizzie."

Gray face-palmed at the predictable comment, eliciting a giggle from Claire and another kiss.

Kai sighed, "New couples... So... _mushy. _And..._romantic_. Bleurgh."

A lethal glare from Gray and the young man quickly stopped talking, smiling innocently.

As the conversation continued animatedly, Devil and Angel sat in a corner of the room on Ann's vanity, looking thoughtfully at the group of young adults.

Devil sighed and flopped down onto her back, "It feels good to be back. I thought she would never be able to find the strength to do it."

Angel nodded, not taking her eyes away from the group, "I agree."

Devil frowned, "We agree too much. Aren't we supposed to be polar opposites? You know, hate each other and all that jazz?"

Angel just shrugged, a small smile appearing on her face, "Maybe. Maybe not."

Devil groaned let her head fall against the vanity, "Okay. I do hate you."

**WTF ending don't you think? Yes I agree.**

**El: Me too!**

**Me: Shut up.**

**El: Grrr. Please review! You people are awesome!**

**Me: Yup! More reviews=faster updates!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Turning of a page

**Hey! Welcome to the last chapter of Déjà Vu!**

**Wow... It's been nine months since the beginning of this adventure... **

**I just want to thank all the readers, all of those who reviewed, kept me motivated, favorited and alerted. *tears up* Hugs to you all! I love you all!**

**El: We still don't own harvest Moon.**

**Me: Read and Review... thank you!**

_Summer 26_

_Dear diary,_

_Dear diary... How awkward it feels to write these words inside a simple notebook, inside you. Awkward, slightly embarrassing and completely childish. And yet. I have barely started writing that I now feel relieved. I even feel comfortable writing this as if it were a conversation with you, that you diary, were a real person and that you are actually listening to me. My pen glides smoothly on the crisp white pages and I admire your plum colored leather-bound covers. A diary. Who would have thought that today of all days would be the day I started writing in you? Tonight, the very night before my own wedding? After all, don't people turn to diaries when they feel left alone? I know that this is definitely not my case. But, I don't want to think right now._

_So yes, tomorrow is indeed my wedding day. A bit of a surprise isn't it? That I, Claire, would get married at age 22... But maybe I should start a bit my story a bit more in the past._

_After I came back from my two season leave, I have to admit things were tough. Once again, the word that would fit the most would have to be 'awkward'. Everyone forgave me yes, but I had changed. They had changed. I had abandoned them. And even the best of friends can't get away with that. The second week was definitely the worst to go through. The surprise and happiness of my return had slowly worn off and the hurt feelings came back up to the surface. _

_A few of them would avoid me, watching me from the corners of their eyes as if they were expecting me to disappear again. A few others would respond if I talked to them but it was mostly uncomfortable silence. Kai was a bit more pleasant, but he stayed constantly by Popuri's side. _

_Karen was the worst. She flat out refused to acknowledge my presence, avoiding eye contact and pretending she didn't hear me when I whispered 'Hi'. We had never been really close but I guess it was her way of coping, I just didn't know._

_But we made it through. Gray especially, to my surprise, was there for me through it all. He was the one person I relied on. The one that dried my tears after Popuri had a breakdown and banned me from seeing her. He was the one that reassured me that it was only her hormone-induced mood swings and her surprise from having me back. And he was the one who held me together, stopped me from bursting into millions of broken tiny pieces._

_I didn't believe how a person could be so sweet and caring. It just made no sense how Gray didn't show any kind of hurt feelings towards me. He just told me that he understood that a person needed space. That he had experienced the same thing as a teenager and that he thought that my adolescent crisis had just kicked in a bit later._

_I didn't really appreciate that._

_Popuri and I patched things up pretty quickly. As Gray had predicted, it had just been too much for her. But the storm has passed and Kai and Popuri now have a beautiful little daughter; Elizabeth, or Lizzie, as we like to call her. She's almost a season old, and is just a little angel. Our newly wedded couple have never seemed happier. They got married barely a week after Lizzie's birth. Popuri was radiant that day. Her hair up in a tight bun, the long white veil covering her face, and her dress... Her dress! All incredibly soft white fabric, pearls, lace and ribbons..._

_No one seemed to notice how the dark rings under her eyes from the exhausting task of taking care of the baby. Popuri's smile was so wide, so much happiness in her eyes that she could have had grown a second head and no one would have cared._

_It was simply perfect. And the cherry on top of the cake? The bouquet landed on Cliff's head. We all laughed at that. But funny or not, Ann and Cliff are now married as well. And as I predicted, a baby is on the way. They keep bickering about names and curtain colors. Cliff actually stands up to his wife now, it's pretty funny. I think hanging around her 24/7 has given him a backbone._

_Ann was radiant as well, on her wedding day, although in a completely different way. Her rounded stomach visible through the the white dress. Her hair, let out for once, brought out by the crystal tiara Gray and Saibara made especially for her._

_And now I guess it's my turn. My dress sits in my wardrobe. A simple white silk dress, delicate and beautiful. I don't know how Ellen managed to make it fit me so perfectly; tight in all the right places and flowing gracefully from my waist. I love the way it flows through the air when I spin. She's a wonder that woman. And I've seen her this morning, working actively on yet another wedding gown. Yes Dear Diary, Elli is engaged to Trent._

_It is kind of funny how many weddings have been following each other. Let's not even talk about Rick and Karen. They got married barely two days after I came back. And I'm pretty sure Lizzie is soon going to have a cousin._

_I haven't seen Gray today at all, being too busy with the wedding, all the last minutes preparations. It made me feel slightly insecure. Jack was there for me though, giving me his advice and support. Telling me to just look at my engagement ring every time I felt the nerves getting to me. And he was right, every time I glanced at the amethyst on my finger, my heart beat slower and I felt calmer. I had no need to be stressed, this was supposed to be the greatest week of my life. Every time I looked at the purple stone, I thought back to that wonderful day._

_A picnic by the waterfall at sunset, candles in the great tree by the pond the moment night fell, fireflies, flowers, Gray looking so handsome in a light blue button up shirt and black jeans, Gray getting down on one knee, that one question that made my knees go week, that beautiful ring... All so perfectly cliché, perfectly romantic, perfectly planned, and just perfectly perfect. I don't remember my reaction to the proposal but I do remember tears and kisses under that candlelit tree._

_But today, the perfectness and romance seemed quite far away. I don't think I would have gotten through the day if it hadn't been for Jack._

_He arrived three weeks after me. On that day. The day that started what we now like to call 'the Gray Incident'. That little completely frightening week. It scared the crap out of all of us. But that's a story for another time._

_Like I was saying, after the Gray incident, Jack fit in pretty quickly. He became close friends with Kai and Rick. Which was pretty contradictory, but he somehow managed it. Jack also took some interested in our fellow raven-haired librarian. Poor Mary didn't see it coming! Bouquets of flowers appeared mysteriously on her desk for about two weeks before Jack even got the nerve to ask her out._

_My, my, I'm writing and writing and writing... and yet, I feel like I still have too many things to say, too many things I don't know how to write... Too many memories, feelings, everything._

_My heart is thumping away, like it wants to jump out of my chest when I think about tomorrow. I must change the subject or I fear I'll collapse into a fit of giggles. Or tears. I can't tell._

_...Did I tell you about my promise yet? I don't think so. I made it after talking to Jack for the last time at the hospital. I promised myself to live my life no matter what, live it the way I want to and not the way 'Harvest Moon MFoMT Claire' or any other Claire in this world would have._

_Which is why I chose you, Diary, with your purple leather cover, and not the sea blue paperback one._

_I miss Origami Diary. Miss him more than anything. His grave is in the cemetery, covered in forget-me-nots. I bring some fresh ones every week. I miss those smart little black eyes, that soft golden fur, and just about everything. Goddess what I wouldn't do to have him back. But, deep down, I know that if it hadn't been for his death, things wouldn't have turned out this way. All I can do is hope and pray that there really is an afterlife and that he's currently chasing after butterflies in the clouds..._

_Jack is yelling at me to get some sleep. I've just realized it's close to midnight. So here goes, my last night as a bachelorette. As Miss Claire Collins. By this time tomorrow, I'll be Ms. Claire Walters._

_God, I think I just fell in love with the way that sounds. Ms. Claire Walters. But now I must really get some sleep, my bridesmaid just decided to order me to go to bed as well. ...Jack and Ann together is really not a good idea._

_Yours truly,_

_Claire_

Claire fidgeted with the hem of her veil, licking her dry lips, shifting her weight from foot to foot. It was her wedding day. Her wedding day. Why was she so nervous?

With a sigh, the blonde turned around to face the tarnished mirror on the wall next to her. She inspected it slowly, looking at all the little cracks, smudges, the flickering light she could see reflected, anything but her. Claire gulped audibly and her hands tightened around the bouquet of white roses.

_Deep breaths Claire,_ she told herself,_ just take deep breaths_.

Inhaling softly through her nose, Claire felt her heartbeat slow down ever so slightly. This wasn't so bad was it? She was supposed to be overjoyed! And she probably was, underneath the many layers of stress.

"Claire!" Ann suddenly burst into the little room, making Claire jump out of her skin with fright.

"Argh... Ann..." Claire panted, her hand on her chest, feeling her heart thundering away, "Don't scare me like that... I'm already stressed enough as it is! I don't need you to give me a heart attack!"

Ann smiled wickedly, her eyes glowing like a cat's, "That's payback for my wedding day. Remember how you told me I was supposed to 'chill out'? Not so easy is it?"

Claire sighed and rolled her eyes, "Look, I already apologized..."

Ann just shrugged and started humming as she twirled around her best friend, making last minute inspections. As a bridesmaid, Ann was wearing a simple knee long white dress along with a big white bow to keep her hair up in a tight bun.

"You're perfect," the redhead finally concluded, "Of course, everyone knows I was much more beautiful. But you're not far behind"

Claire let out a shaky laugh and started to reply when she suddenly felt a pair of arms around her neck.

"I'm happy for you," An mumbled, holding Claire in a tight hug, "Don't you guys dare mess up this wedding. Or even your relationship."

"I know, I'll try not to," Claire replied, trying to sound light and cheerful. But she knew that the hot needles prickling the back of her eyes were anything but light and cheerful. Sniffling and trying to hold back the tears, she wrapped her arms around Ann, hugging her back, the two of them staying in that position for a minute or two.

"Oh!" Ann suddenly jumped back, "I forgot! I came here to tell you the ceremony was going to start!"

"That's okay, y-WHAT?" Claire desperately grasped at what was left of her self control. This was not good.

"I'm sorry!" Ann squeaked, "I just... Go! Now!" And without another word, Claire was pushed unceremoniously out of the little room.

Claire's eyes widened as she found herself in the church, white roses decorating the benches around her. Everyone was now staring at her. Claire felt frozen, feeling all the gazes on her. Oh how she wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground right about now!

A light touch on her arm made her jump slightly before looking up in Jack's smiling face.

"You sure took long enough," he muttered, his chocolate eyes shining.

Claire laughed, feeling much better by the second, now that Jack was here, "Ask Ann. It's not my fault."

Before Jack could reply though, an all too popular tune rang out in the church, Claire's eyes widening again. This was it. Without really understanding it, Claire felt a great bubble of excitement well up inside her, just pure glee and happiness. The muscles around her mouth felt a bit tight and Claire realized that she was smiling, smiling so widely she was sure she was blinding everyone.

With Jack's hand holding her arm securely Claire walked forward, towards the front of her church, and towards her future. Her head was empty, as if a vacuum was turned on in her head the moment the music rang and had whisked all her thoughts away. And there. Waiting for her in a black suit, with a grin so uncharacteristically wide on his face, was Gray. Her soon to be husband.

Unconsciously, Claire knew that she sped up her pace the moment she met Gray's blue eyes. And in a matter of seconds, she was now standing next to Gray, their hands intertwined. She stared into those eyes, those beautiful blue eyes that she loved so much. The smile on her face was now much smaller, but with much more feeling in it, much more intimate. This one was special, it was for Gray and for him alone. Gray's eyes twinkled and his lips curled up into a similar smile.

Carter was talking in the background, about this and that, vows and all. But Claire didn't really hear it, still staring into those blue eyes.

"-till death do you part?"

Claire reacted slightly at the end of the question, as if coming brusquely back down to earth. Blinking, the blonde quickly regained her bearings. That question was for _her_. Looking into Carter's caring eyes, Claire felt her wide smile bloom onto her lips and her heart fluttering before looking back at Gray, her cheeks hurting from her smile.

"I do," she whispered.

Gray's smile widened as well and the look of happiness on his face just made Claire tug at her smile a bit more. She knows she can't possibly smile any wider. But Goddess knows if she could, she would.

Carter nodded at them, smiling softly, "And do you, Gray Walters, take Claire Collins, to be your wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, will you love her and honor her all the days of your life? Take her to be your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Gray looked at Carter solemnly before beaming back at Claire, "I do."

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

The church exploded in cries of happiness and Claire felt strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her flush against Gray. Her husband. Gray leaned in, their foreheads touching and his eyes heavily lidded.

"I love you." And they were kissing. It was light, chaste, full of passion, _perfect_.

Claire was almost sure that there were tears streaking down her cheeks at the moment, but she couldn't have cared less. She felt happy, relieved and complete. Without thought, Claire threw the bouquet behind her back, not hearing the cries of the crowd, and wrapped her arms tightly against Gray's neck, pulling him closer.

As the music started once again, the crowd kept on applauding and cheering the newly wedded couple, Gray and Claire finally pulled apart, the latter sobbing and laughing at the same time.

"I love you too Gray Walters," Claire said, trying to wipe tears away. Gray beamed and pulled her in a tight hug.

Claire looked around her, only to find a grinning Jack holding her bouquet. Laughing, she watched her brother turn to Mary and offer the bouquet. The little librarian blushed bright red but accepted the bouquet with a small smile.

Ann and Cliff were standing right next to them, lazily leaning into each others embrace with small smiles. Like two cats.

Popuri and Kai were there, a bit farther off, with a baby carriage both of them smiling at them. Standing next to them, Elli and Rick were animatedly waving at Gray and Claire while Trent and Karen just smiled.

And, just about everyone else was crowded around them, congratulating them, sharing jokes, presents, advice.

Claire smiled and relaxed into Gray's grip, happiness still bubbling inside her. She was happy, she was complete, whole.

Outside, floating behind a window, the Harvest Goddess smiled. All was fixed. Everything would be fine now. A small bark in her arms made her chuckle and she looked at the small beagle she was holding.

"What is it Ori?"

Another bark.

"Yes, of course they'll be happy."

A smug bark.

"Of course you did well Orig. Now stop bragging."

Another smug bark.

The Harvest Goddess chuckled, "That's nice Ori. Now come on, it's time for us to leave. We are not needed anymore."

And without another sound, the Harvest Goddess floated up a bit more, Origami tightly in her arms. In a flash and a shower of sparkles,they were both gone. Two ghosts gone back to the world to which they belonged.

Inside the church, Claire remained oblivious, now dancing in the arms of her husband. Gliding across the dance floor and laughing, head thrown back, cheeks pleasantly flushed.

Another page had just turned. It was the end of a story.

And now the beginning of another one was being written as the couple kept dancing. One that would get very interesting in less than a season.

_Fall 17_

_Dear Diary, _

_I'm pregnant._

_Yours truly,_

_Claire_

**The End**

**Once again, thank you to all those who reviewed!**

**There will be an epilogue! Just... I don't know how long it will take to squeeze out ^^**

**Oh, and as soon as I can, I will start writing a new story 'The Gray Incident' So keep on the lookout for that!**

**One more time, thank you for sticking with me till the end! Hope you enjoyed!**

**El: Hugs to you all!**


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